X Gene 1: Fortune's Fools
by LA Knight
Summary: Waiting: Rogue, for her prince. Beast for Beauty. Wolverine, for the girl. Jubilee, for love. Gambit, to die. Forced: Twilight, to love. Daystar & Aurora, to share. Heaven, to live. Eclipse, to lead. Nocturne, to wait. And X-Gene, trying to kill them all.
1. Search and Discover

**Chapter Two**

**Search and Discover**

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Gambit watched the sleeping woman with her silver hair and moon pale face, her lashes like tiny silken threads of Christmas tinsel against her cheeks. The dark bruise like soot around her left eye and the swelling of her puffy, split lower lip only showed she was hardened against pain. Her delicate appearance belied her abilities. Who was this woman? How had she come to this point? Beaten, brutalized... but not broken. Never broken, he knew. In her, he recognized something, a characteristic that many of the X-Men possessed. From the way she'd stood up to the X-Men, thinking they were the enemy, like a mother lion protecting her cubs, he could tell that there was probably nothing anyone could do to break her. You could kill the woman, but that wasn't the same thing. She was like iron- unbreakable. He could see that in the way she'd held out until all of her kids were safe and taken care of, how she kept on her feet until everyone was tucked away, safe from harm. It was only when she'd been provoked by Wolverine that her last bit of strength gave out. How had she managed to keep that up?

Even unconscious, she was strong and on guard. He could see it in the tension in her body, her muscles taut as a bowstring as her head turned from side to side, back and forth, making tiny, questioning noises in her throat, as if constantly seeking out any potential dangers. Her hands clenched, unclenched, fisting and relaxing. Shadows danced beneath her high cheekbones, the stark fluorescent lights kissing her cheeks lovingly. It was as if the two elements adored her. Was that part of her power? Was that why they called her Eclipse? Was she mistress of light and dark?

And what had him waxing so poetic all of a sudden?

Well, that was a stupid question. He knew exactly what it was- Rogue being so close, he wanted to cut his beating heart out of his chest and exsanguinate on the floor of the Blackbird. He wanted to gouge out his own eyes, skin himself alive- anything, so long as he didn't have to be so achingly aware of her only a few short feet away, as untouchable as a poisonous viper. So he was focusing on another woman. He knew from past experience that it was a temporary solution, but it was still viable for twenty minutes or so.

He hoped.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Jubilation Lee sank back against the far wall of the shower attached to her X-Mansion room. It had been a gift from Professor Xavier when the company shrink, Emma Frost, had discovered that hiding out in the gleaming, pearlescent cubicle helped the teenaged mutant cope with her current set of problems. Concerned, Charles Xavier had leapt at the chance to give Jubilee a place to call her own, an even more private place than her bedroom. He'd been only too eager to follow Emma's advice about the girl after she and Jean Grey had discovered Jubilee screaming from a nightmare, huddled up in the furthest dark recesses of her gigantic, walk-in closet.

So here she was, huddled instead in the brightly fluorescent fortress of ceramic tile, plastic caulking, and shiny, chrome fixtures that the Professor had had commissioned for her. Shivering as cool air poked at the beads of water on her bare skin, she scuttled back beneath the pounding shower spray. Liquid fire, golden hot and gentle as massaging hands, poured over her body as she drew her thin, scabbed knees up to her chest. How had she gotten so skinny in the last three months? And when was the last time she ate? Thinking for a few seconds, she realized she couldn't remember. But since she wasn't hungry, she wasn't too concerned. If only her skin didn't have that weird, transparent, bruised look to it. She looked like she was made out of spun sugar and glass. It irritated her- she was nothing close to fragile. She refused to be anything resembling delicate. She'd cut her own wrists before going back to being fragile, that untested teenage girl like an innocent porcelain doll just waiting to be knocked off the shelf so she could shatter into a million, unfixable pieces.

_Jubilee?_

_**GET OUT OF MY HEAD!**_

She knew the scream was loud enough, furiously frantic enough, and hateful enough to force Jean out of her mind. She didn't like the pregnant telepath traipsing around inside her head. Didn't these mind readers have any morals? Didn't they understand the meaning of privacy? Yet the Professor and his prize pupil, Marvel Girl the Great (oh, taste the bitter sarcasm of _that_ thought), didn't see anything wrong with taking a stroll through her brain. For her own good, they said. They wanted to make sure nothing... happened.

Like what was about to happen now, the teenager thought bitterly as she carefully picked up the shiny razorblade between her fingertips. She wasn't careful enough. The edge sank into the fleshy pad of one fingertip like a child sinking into a soft, fluffy bed. Festively bright, crimson blood welled up from the painless cut and ran down her fingers, caressing her palm and trickling down her wrist, leaving ruby tracks on her arm before the droplets hit the shower floor. They left striking, scarlet blossoms on the white ceramic of the shower stall. Like vermillion fireworks, the girl mused vaguely. She pressed the other edge against the soft swell of her too pale wrist, skirting the indigo river that was the major vein there. She didn't want to hurt herself. She had to be careful.

The last thing she wanted was for Xavier to think she meant herself harm. Because then he'd send her back to that place, ahd she really _would_ try to kill herself.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Gambit wondered what Rogue was doing all the way up at the front of the Blackbird, by the pilot controls. Was she thinking about him? Was she hating his guts? Thinking about breaking his neck? Thinking about another man? Well, the Cajun thought bitterly, if she was thinking about another man, it was probably Wolverine, and he had nothing to compare with the muscular Canadian. After all, who was Remy LeBeau? A member of the Thieves Guild, a card-throwing Cajun, with eyes like a demon's and the habit of hiding away from the problems that stabbed at his heart. Hell, what problems? He didn't have a problem, he had a disease: Rogue. And he knew the cure, as insane as it was: Rogue.

But he wasn't getting that cure anytime soon, so he might as well think about something else. Like these children, all lying curled up on the floor. The sight of them was enough to break his heart. In the brief time they'd been awake after getting them aboard the X-Men's jet, he'd gotten to know them a little. He'd heard Dawn, one of the little boys, talking about his mother as Beast set the broken bones in his leg. He refused to talk about how his leg had gotten broken, but he wouldn't stop talking about his mother, Heaven. He absolutely adored the woman, whom Wolverine and Beast were currently out searching for. But what kind of woman would willingly involve her seven-year-old in something this dangerous? As a parent, she oughtta be responsible enough and old enough to know better.

New Moon, the boy who'd refused to sleep and literally nodded off in the middle of a conversation with Eclipse, had said he had no parents other than the Red Stars. He wouldn't explain who the Red Stars were, had in fact clapped a hand over his mouth when the phrase escaped his lips. After that, his only verbage had been in Eclipse's direction. But Remy knew he'd get through to the boy eventually. Or one of them would.

The girl who glowed like a nightlight, who was at the moment caught in a sleeping sandwich between the two youngest boys, had said her name was Belle Braun. Since none of the other kids had discouraged her from claiming her surname, Gambit could only assume she wasn't a runaway. She talked about her parents, too- Zacharias Braun and his wife, Violet. Those names sounded damn familiar to the Southern man, but he couldn't put his finger on why. Maybe her parents were mutants? But if they _were_ mutants, than they shouldn't have any problems raising their little girl. Yet here she was, with Eclipse and these other children, the only child who could claim both her parents. And she insisted that no one in her family was in Manhattan. It didn't make any sense.

Every other child now sleeping on the floor of the Blackbird called the unconscious woman at Gambit's side "Mother." Or some variation. But they couldn't all be her children. There were far too many of them- seven of the ten children here claimed familial ties with Eclipse. And the little _petite_ with the bad cough said she had a brother, Moonshine, lost out there somewhere. Beast and Wolverine were out searching for him, as well. Eight children, and she couldn't have been more than twenty-five. Maybe the two toddlers, Luna and Crescent. But the others... no. Not possible. Yet they all looked to the woman as a mentor and guardian, and she obviously took her role very seriously.

And Moonshine... where Gambit came from, moonshine was illegal. It was bootleg whiskey- bootleg alcohol, period, these days. Who named a kid Moonshine? Unless he could knock someone flat with a touch, it didn't make much sense. But he wasn't Remy's kid, so what did the card-throwing Cajun know? But everyone seemed to be scared for the missing boy, including Eclipse. She was moaning his name in her sleep. The children had refused to fall asleep until being assured several times over that the X-Men would find Moonshine. The oldest boy, the midnight-skinned New Moon, said Moonshine was the leader of the Blue Stars, whatever that meant. Maybe the Stars were the two teams Eclipse's people were split into- Red and Blue. But what did the names mean? And if Moonshine was a boy- the coughing girl said he was eight years old- than how could he be the leader of either team?

Where the hell were the adults? Why was Eclipse the only one here with these children?

Eclipse whispered something. It was almost a moan, full of torment, pleading. When Gambit turned to the sleeping woman, she moaned and whispered, "Red Stars... Red Stars. The children... Sunny. Moonshine. Red Stars! Come... Red Stars..." The Cajun's hair stood up on end as something like psionic energy washed over him. It was almost like the wave of energy was checking him out, assessing and analyzing him... and then dismissing him.

A solitary tear rolled down Eclipse's cheek. It gleamed like a black diamond against that strange, white skin.

"Black tears?" Rogue asked. "Who cries colored tears?" She came up slowly behind him, giving him enough time to protest her increasing presence. Finally, she was standing beside him, the burning heat flowing between them almost enough to make his teeth clench. He hated being close to her. So close, yet so far... like a butterfly fluttering its soft, silken wings against his cheek in a gentle, tender caress. He fancied he could almost feel the aching rhythm of her heartbeat in his own chest. He did his best not to reach out and brush a leather-gloved hand against her cocked hip.

Desperate to get his mind on something else, he focused on Rogue's question about the tears.

"Don' you know, _cher?_ Gambit's tears be red."

For a moment, he shocked her into silence. Apparently, every time her presence had sucked him into depression, she hadn't noticed the glistening, ruby tears running down his face like blood. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that- uncaring, disappointed, enraged, suicidal. How could she not have noticed all the pain she put him through?

It didn't matter. Unfortunately, they had more pressing matters to attend to.

Gambit turned to the power-sucking mutant beside him, who jerked when she realized Remy was watching her watch him. Irritated at the way her eyes skittered away from his face, he turned back to stare at Eclipse's face, trying to ignore that hollow emptiness somewhere in his chest. Obviously, his Queen of Hearts didn't want anything to do with him, even after all these months. So he'd pay attention to a more puzzling issue: Eclipse, mystery woman.

How had she become so wary of everyone? She was so incredibly restless, thrashing about in her sleep. She kept whispering, muttering unintelligibly under her breath. The tension rising off of her was enough to make Gambit tired just watching.

Ignoring the woman in front of him, he turned his attention back to the woman behind him, unable to help himself. Rogue. Rogue, the lone X-Men, the lonely wanderer, who scorched him with her nearness and seared him with her emotional distance. Those hunter green eyes like dark jade cut at him, emerald knives slicing at his heart. The flecks of gold in their depths were like salt in the wound. Seeing the soft, glistening lips painted with a dark, glittering wine color made him ache to take her in his arms and kiss those lips. Kiss those lips, as he'd done only three times before...

A kiss on Rogue's lush lips while she lay asleep on the sofa in the Red Room. It had been under false pretenses brought about by a traitorous Morph, an attempt to get an oblivious Rogue to kiss him probably unto death. But it hadn't mattered to Gambit- it had been their first kiss. A kiss that was like sweet, heavenly bliss until she sucked the life out of him. And even when he'd woken up, groaning with the aches of dancing with death, he'd had to admit that it had been worth it.

A second kiss while in a cage, trapped by Mr. Sinister on a tropical island in the middle of the Antarctic wastes. A kiss that was an unintentional gift from the freakish Sinister, who was suppressing their powers with his machines. For the first time, they had been able to touch without fear of death or the loss of Gambit's energy-charging powers.

And the last kiss, the one that had been brought on by her brief control over her once uncontrollable powers. It had been brief, as their other two kisses had been. But it had been so tender, and he had been gentle. Her lips were so soft under his... but it had been a goodbye kiss, lasting only a few precious seconds. It had been a kiss to make him stay at the X-Mansion, instead of disappearing for a year to get away from all the temptations that Rogue represented.

But who was he kidding? Rogue would never allow him to kiss her again. She'd never allow him to do anything to or for or with her again. So why torture himself by remembering?

Better to focus on the mission.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Endymione Midnight hated his name. He hated his father. He hated his primary power, the one he had such tenuous control over. He also hated his secondary power, the one he could control the best. He hated being lost. He hated being alone. He hated Manhattan. He hated X-Gene. He hated failing at anything. And more than anything else, he absolutely hated making his mother cry.

Right now, he was lost and alone in Manhattan, on the run from X-Gene and, he was almost certain, from his father. His photokinesis was trying to flare out of control, and it was all he could do to keep from losing his grip on the mutation. His ability to poison people, well... no one was touching him, or there might have been a problem. He had failed to keep his team together while under attack from the mutant breeding program out for their blood (well, their DNA at least). And he knew for a fact that if his mother was still alive and still conscious, and possibly even if she were unconscious, she was crying because they had become separated.

So Endymione, who commonly went by the name Moonshine, didn't want to deal with the portly police officer coming toward him as he trudged along the sidewalk, keeping well away from the street lights. Part of his upbringing had instilled in him a wariness of authority figures, especially adult males. Another part had taught him to run far away from police, because if they thought you were a runaway, you were liable to end up in a situation that could get you killed. That's what had nearly happened to his mother, a decade ago, before he was born. That's what had happened to all of the Red Stars. That was how they ended up with X-Gene. And Moonshine would rather be dead than get stuck with that group of crazy people who'd ruined his mother's life.

Wondering where Eclipse was, and his sisters and brothers, and wondering if he'd ever see them, he kept walking along as if he had every right to be on the street. The cop kept coming. Heaven's warning came back, tickling the back of his mind: don't hurt the innocent. The policeman was innocent- probably.

"Son, it's a bit late t'be on the street, doncha think?"

Moonshine ignored him, but let his grasp on the second meaning of his name loosen a little. If the cop grabbed him and touched bare skin, it'd be his own fault what happened.

"Where be your parents, son?" The policeman tried again. When Moonshine kept walking, the officer grabbed his bare arm. Now, years later, Moonshine would admit that what happened next was not the man's fault. He hadn't known about the raw, infected scrape on the boy's upper arm, nearly invisible in the night out of the glow of the amber lights. The cop hadn't known that the flesh was ragged and wet and looked like raw beef framed by feverish red flesh. He hadn't known it was oozing pus and tender to the touch, thanks to some mud that had made its way into the wound earlier that night. There was no way he could've known. But Moonshine wasn't thinking about culpability at the moment. His only thought was of making the man let go.

The bulbs of the street lights shattered as Moonshine lost control of his photokinesis. The glass tinkled like bells and wind chimes as it crashed to the asphalt and concrete. And the police officer groaned as his eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out on the sidewalk, his breath suddenly reeking of whiskey. Moonshine looked around and began yelling for help. When an older couple across the street began approaching, the little boy dashed away before anyone could stop him.

He didn't have time for stuff like this. He had to find his mother.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Why was she talking to him? If all she had to throw at him were agonizing accusations, he'd rather she shut up, stop talking, and stop torturing him with her adorable Southern drawl and her beautiful green eyes full of hurt. Eyes that cut him like knives of green glass.

"Why did ya think ya could up an' leave for a whole year an' expect me ta jus' welcome ya with open arms?"

Gambit bit his lip as kinetic energy surged through his arms, trying to reach for the playing cards that weren't there, trying to vent his frustrations against his will. Clamping down on the energy trying to escape his grasp, he ignored the sharp pain in his chest at Rogue's tone. As if he had betrayed her. As if he had torn out her heart and left it pulsing and spurting in the dirt. As if she were the one dying inside.

He couldn't say this, could never tell her, but the year-long journey hadn't been voluntary. And he couldn't tell her because she wouldn't believe him... and proof of that fact would only rip his heart out again.

Professor Xavier had forced him to go. For Rogue's own good, the balding mutant had insisted. They needed time away from each other, he said. A whole year seemed excessive, but the Professor had insisted it be a year. He didn't know what the telepathic mutant had been doing with the woman in that year long absence, but it obviously hadn't done anything for the relationship between the Southern belle and the Cajun playboy. In fact, upon returning, everything that had ever existed between them was in ruins. And for some reason, despite the Professor's backup, Rogue didn't believe him when he swore that he had felt nothing for any of the companions he had traveled with during his year-long journey. And it _had_ been nothing... compared to the intensity of his love for Rogue.

He remembered them, though. Sweet memories. Memories of women who were just friends- half of them too young to be anything more- but who he had fought beside across the globe.

"Where did you go?"

A new voice, soft and hesitant, broke the tense stillness within the X-Jet. Rogue and Gambit's gazes snapped away from each other and the Cajun's eyes focused on New Moon, who was crawling carefully towards him. The boy stopped every few seconds to check on the children he passed. He adjusted a blanket, tucking it under Midna's chin. He repositioned Belle's head on her pillow. He tucked a stray curl from Sky Flower's forehead behind her ear, his eyes gleaming with worry as she made a small noise in her throat. He glanced at Night Thorn, who seemed to be in a satisfactory position and so was not messed with. He gently took Crescent's thumb out of her mouth without waking the toddler. He did the same to Luna and Star Fox. He tucked a ragged piece of moth-eaten fabric that might have been a teddy bear back under a sleeping Orion's arm. Finally, slowly, as if approaching a skittish animal, he got to his feet. The last child, Dawn, New Moon stared at for a long moment, but the injured child was sleeping on a pallet laid out for him by Beast and the teenager obviously didn't want to disturb him.

"Ya sho take care o' dem pretty good, no?" Gambit asked softly, following New Moon's example of quietness. He tried not to notice Rogue walking out of the jet into the surrounding darkness. Away from him.

"It's my job," New Moon replied casually. "Moonshine ain't here, an' I'm the oldest. Someone's gotta make sure everything goes right."

"Maybe Gambit don' know better, but isn't dat her job?" He jerked a thumb at the still unconscious Eclipse. New Moon gave the Cajun a cold look and replied, "No. She's hurt bad. So right now it's my job, okay? Buzz off."

"Okay, okay," Gambit replied, holding his palms up in surrender, smiling a little. "Gambit mean no harm. Just askin'."

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Wolverine prowled the streets of Manhattan, searching. Call him a sucker for a pretty face and a girl in trouble, but when Eclipse had handed him that photograph of her people, and he'd seen the agonized, beseeching look on her face, he'd known he couldn't withhold help from the woman and her little family. So now he was wandering oround a disgusting, pungent city looking for some kid. He was also supposed to be looking for a bunch of other people, but the kid was his main concern. Being a little kid out on the street in a place like this was impossible to tolerate.

Of course, the stench of the city was impossible to tolerate. He hated the way cities smelled- gum, sweat, tears, exhaust, metal, humanity. He hated that. But on top of those disgusting smells, the sickening stench of metropolitan life, there was the sweet smell of perfume. Peaches mostly, citrusy and warm as summer on the beach. Where was that smell coming from? And it was soft, a little breeze bringing with it the most delicious feeling, like spring time breaking through the icy thrall of winter, like dawn rising after a long night of bloodshed and terror.

And with it came a sound- the sound of muffled screaming.

Cursing under his breath, Wolverine broke into a loping run, following that heavenly perfume and the sound of that screaming. He didn't know if it was anyone he ought to be looking for, but damn it if he was gonna just wander off and let some innocent woman end up getting mugged or raped or murdered because he was too preoccupied with a mission to give a damn.

Especially after what happened to Jubilee.

Trying to ignore the memory of the teenage sparkler with the adorable, kick-ass attitude lying unconscious and half naked on the ground in a back alley covered in blood, grime, and bruises, he kept running until he found the source of that smell. He was in luck: he'd found Dawn's mother. Hard to believe a woman that young looking could have a seven-year-old, but what the heck? He could ponder her age some other time. Right now, he needed to save her from the three yahoos closing in on her, and the other hooligan with his arm around her waist, pinning her hands, and one hand over her mouth.

"Don't you bozos know it's not nice to bother nice ladies?" He demanded. The four thugs turned to him, and the woman- Heaven, he remembered Dawn saying- took the opportunity to ram the back of her head into Mr. Grabby's nose. Wolverine enjoyed the melodic crunching of cartilage and bone. Stomping on the jerk's foot, she managed to get loose, but found herself separated from Wolverine by the thugs. Still, Grabby was hunched over, cupping his gushing nose. The other three were glancing back and forth between Wolverine and the girl, whose eyes gleamed with a strange, electric blue light as she pressed herself against a dirty, graffiti-splashed brick wall.

"You wanna stay outta this, buddy," one of the morons snapped. He reached out and hauled on a handful of the woman's fiery red hair. "This slut's a mutant!"

As if Wolverine didn't know that.

Flexing his biceps and clenching his fists, the snarling mutant unsheathed his adamantium claws. The four losers stiffened, staring at the shining metal blades protruding from between Wolverine's knuckles. Then, almost all at once, it dawned on the guys that they were all unarmed. Their only advantage over Heaven was numbers and size. Numbers they still had, but this new mutant could cut them up like salami and there'd be no stopping him. They could die. One mutant whore wasn't worth dying for.

They ran.

Wolverine sheathed his claws, fighting his natural instincts to go after the idiots who'd done their ignorant best to piss him off. Doing his best to keep from scaring the girl, he approached Heaven, who immediately fell back against the wall, eyes narrowed dangerously. He knew that look. That was the look of a woman on guard, terrified out of her mind, and pissed off to the point that she was probably gonna attack first and ask questions later, if ever. So Wolverine took the initiative, saying gently into the tense stillness, "Are you Dawn's mother? I got a little boy asking a lot of questions. He's real worried about his mom."

She swiped at some blood trickling down her cheek from a gash next to her left eye. The coppery scent of blood made his nose itch. Those eyes still blazed like electric, cerulean fire as she whispered, "Where's my son? I want my son."

"He's on our plane, back at Saint Peter's Gardens," he replied truthfully. He had a feeling she'd know if he was lying to her, and if she was a mutant, he didn't want to end up dying because he underestimated her powers. Holding up his hands, palms out, he took a step forward. "Eclipse and New Moon sent me. I'm supposed to find the rest of the Red Stars."

"What about the children?" She asked with some difficulty. He wasn't sure if it was pain, fatigue, or emotional stress that made her voice tremble. He hated women like that- they made his protective instincts unsheathe their claws and start snarling.

"Just looking for Moonshine and Sunny, New Moon told me. We got everybody else. And the adults, except Eclipse. I take it you're one of them?"

She stared at him, watching him warily as she licked a bleeding lip. She had some lush lips, Wolverine couldn't help noticing. Maybe it was swelling from whatever impact had split her lip. Then again, maybe it wasn't. She was pretty voluptuous. He liked women with meat on their bones. Sticks... he hated sticks. Those heroin washout stick women with hip bones so jutting and sharp you could cut yourself trying to hug them. The opposite of this girl, in her shredded blue jeans that hugged her curvaceous hips and belly, her long, peach colored tunic with the hippie fringe that was cut so that it showed her tattooed navel but hung past her knees on either side. Her hair was so black, it was blue and violet when the light from the street lamps glanced off it. But her feet were bare. They were cut up and carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey, probably from glass, rocks, and other pieces of street and alley debris.

"I want to see my son," she murmured.

"Okay," he replied, hands still up in the air. "He wants to see you."

She hesitated for a moment. That small space of time stretched out into a screaming eternity as her eyes like a twilight sky on acid raked over him, up and down and back around, burning into him like turquoise lasers. Then she hobbled towards him until she was directly in front of him. She looked up at him, cobalt eyes defiant as she said, "We need to go and get Moonshine. I told him to stay in the subway while I went looking for the others. He'll be wondering what's happened to me."

"Hey, whatever you say," Wolverine replied, catching another whiff of that delicious perfume. "You're the boss."

She gave another of those wary, searing looks, and then she began limping off down the sidewalk toward the subway entrance about two blocks away. She didn't look back to see if he was following.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

"So, where did you go?" New Moon demanded, and Gambit wasn't smiling anymore. He didn't want to think about all the places he'd gone while away from Rogue that year. He could still remember everything about his journey. All his brushes with death- he loved dancing with the Dark Lady. After all, he _was_ a ladies' man. He remembered all the ladies he'd met on his travels- one for every country he'd visited while away.

"You sho ask a lot o' questions," Gambit muttered darkly. He immediately regretted his tone when New Moon ducked his head and sank back down to the floor. Frustrated with himself, wondering why he cared that the boy looked upset. "Gambit'll tell ya what he remembers."

So he did.

He remembered Paris. He remembered Marionette, the mutant opera singer with the sonic voice. He had saved her from a psychotic stalker with a fetish for nooses and masks. She had saved him from an attack by renegade mutants trying to blow him off of the Eiffel Tower to his death. They'd kissed once, but that had been part of a ruse, since he was pretending to be a singer attached to her opera house at the time.

Then there was Madrid, in Spain, with the lovely guerilla soldier, Scarlet Carson, fighting the little war against a new fascist regime. After the few final battles they'd shared in his three months in Spain, he'd helped her reintegrate into her old life as a musician.

In Lisbon, the assassin Teresa had saved him from a mutant named Napoleon. He'd been attacked by vampires in three different countries: Rome, Italy; Dublin, Ireland; and London, England. In Rome, the werewolf hunter Anna Valerios had rescued him from a lycanthrope, and he in turn had saved her from vampires. In London, he'd met the vampire police girl Seras Victoria, and joined up with her and Irish-Japanese, vampire hunting nun Yumiko to defeat bloodsucking Nazis. He'd followed Yumiko to her native Ireland to fight the Nazi presence there. Following the anti-Semitic, socialist party to Berlin, he'd paired up with the famous vaudeville girl Sally Bowles and infiltrated the underground nightclub circuit to stop human trafficking and underaged prostitution.

Suddenly stopping his long list of adventures- most of them mostly true- he turned and asked, "Would Eclipse want Gambit talkin' 'bout stuff like dis wit' you?"

"Probably not, but keep going."

Gambit smiled. Damn but that kid reminded him of himself when he was that age. Keep going, New Moon said. Well, fine, then. He would.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Starlight stumbled through the hateful, crushing crowd beneath the heavy earth. She was not the kind of person who dwelt well with being underground, even if it was in such an innocuous place as the subway tunnels of Manhattan. The midnight haired mutant had to do her best to keep her body from tensing up under the oppressive weight of an entire city. If she panicked, if she allowed her fear to express itself in any way but mentally, her son would panic. And if he began to cry, people would look at her. And if people began looking at her, she'd be in serious trouble. Someone would notice her, and she might get found. She couldn't let that happen.

Wondering what the hell had happened to their leader, and where the other children were, she hefted her infant son in her arms, praying he'd stay as calm and happily burbling as he was right now. Looking into his gleaming, golden eyes, she bussed his cheek with a half-kiss and tried to ignore the blisters on the balls of her feet. The hot pain radiating from the abused soles was distracting, but she had to keep her body from tensing at that, as well. She couldn't afford for Sunny to start crying.

Remembering just how X-Gene manipulated herself and Sunny, she tried to swallow the simmering anger and focused on something else. Like her infant son's cooing little laugh. The moment she allowed her anger to manifest physically, Sunny would panic and begin to cry, thanks to the experimentation of X-Gene. And the moment he began to cry, the migraine would begin, and she'd be absolutely useless until someone calmed him. Separated from her husband and her team, there was _no one_ who _could_ calm Sunny, which meant she'd probably pass out from the agonizing headache.

_Red Stars... Red Stars. The children... Sunny. Moonshine. Red Stars! Come... Red Stars..._

Starlight jumped, startled by the breathy, whispering voice in her mind. Eclipse's voice! Calling to the Red Stars. Calling to her baby. Calling to Eclipse's own son. Calling for them to come. But come where? Where was Eclipse? And how in the name of all things holy was she supposed to make it to wherever Eclipse was in the state she was in? Her feet were twin beacons of burning pain. It was all she could do to put one foot in front of the other.

A fact that was not lost on the man watching her from the stairs leading to the surface.

'Gazer watched as Starlight stumbled along, putting as little weight as possible on her tormented feet. What had happened to her shoes? He could see the crimson splotches staining her white tennis shoes. Blood- but whose? Hers, or someone else's? And the arms that held a gurgling infant were beginning to tremble. He needed to get her, now, before something interfered.

But where were the rest of the Celestials? Where was Eclipse? And how was he going to get to Starlight?

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

"Help! No, please, help me! Not my baby! Please, don't!"

Moonshine jerked to a halt in his tracks, suddenly wishing his little brother was here. Six-year-old Orion would've been able to sense exactly what was going on, would be able to smell and hear how many people were there, what kind of people, etc. Moonshine didn't have that kind of power- just photokinesis and touch-intoxication. And he wasn't entirely sure that those two gifts were going to help whoever was calling for help.

And yet... his mother. He had to find his mother. And his brothers and sisters. Sky Flower had been so sick when the attack had happened. He was supposed to find his family. That was protocol- when separated, search and regroup. His first priority was his family, then the rest of the team. He wasn't supposed to let anything or anyone keep him from that goal.

But his mother had also said, often, that, as a mutant, his duty was to protect normal people in trouble. He was pretty sure she meant when he was older, when he was a grown-up, but he had his powers _now._ Wasn't he supposed to use them?

Wondering if he was going to get grounded after all this was over, he made a dash toward the source of the cries for help. Skidding to a halt, his eyes took in everything in a split second. Muggers- five of them. A woman being shoved around between them, with auburn hair peeking out from a hunter green hood. The gleaming curls poking out from under that hood caught his eye in the dim, flickering light of the subway tunnels. A baby crying as a sixth mugger manhandled it.

"Lunch time!"

One of the teenage muggers, probably about seventeen, giggled maniacally. Gulping, Moonshine grabbed at the lightbulbs almost blindly, hauling on their light with all his concentration and strength. The dim light sparked and lanced around the group, and one of the muggers screamed in agony. The woman lashed out with one foot, catching another of the crooks in the knee cap before running over to the boy.

"Are you nuts?" She demanded. Irritated, he said, "I just saved you and your baby!"

"It's not a real baby, kid," she said, pulling a knife from the sheath strapped to her leg. "It's a decoy to attract trash like them. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to mess with vamires?"

"What?!" Moonshine cried, before something grabbed him by the back of his torn, black Tool shirt. He cried out, and a lightbulb exploded overhead in a shower of tinkling glass. One of the shards scratched his dirty cheek. One of the muggers, baring sharp, gleaming teeth, snarled in his face. His fetid breath made the eight-year-old gag.

"H-h-help!"

The woman, Abigail, glanced over from her battle against the other four vampires still capable of doing damage and swore under her breath. The boy was in deep sludge, since there was no way she could make it to his side before he ended up getting eaten. She couldn't make it- these four losers were gonna be too much trouble for her to get away quickly enough. She had come prepared for trouble, but not for a kid who'd stupidly (bravely) come to her (much unneeded) rescue. Still... that poor kid. He'd only been trying to help her. Not that he could have helped her really. But still...

"Don't you scum buckets know it ain't nice to pick on little kids? Not to mention pretty ladies."

Abigail sank her favorite, six-inch knife's adamantium blade into a vampire's chest and then whirled around to see a tall, broad shouldered man lunging forward to sink gleaming, silver bright claws into the vampire holding the little boy. The kid fell in a heap to the ground with a cry of pain as his captor exploded into ashes. Before she could go to the boy's side, check him out to make sure he was all right, another vampire sank fang into the meat of her arm. She screamed and twisted, cutting the muscle on the ragged teeth so that blood spurted onto the ground. Pissed, she sank her knife into that bloodsucker, clenching her eyes shut to avoid ashes getting in them when her enemy turned to ash and cinders. She turned to stake another one in the chest, but the snarling man plunged his gleaming claws into her target before she could make the killing strike.

Counting in her head, she realized there was one vampire left right before the remaining enemy began howling in pain. The cry sent shivers down Abby's spine- an animal shriek, a death cry, cutting at her ears. Both Abby and the man who had rescued her turned to the source of the screaming and saw a young woman with dark hair down to her waist, her hands on the last vampire's face. They were locked in a lethal embrace, the vampire's hands wrapped around the woman's throat. Her delicate, scraped hands sank into the vampire's flesh. That flesh was withering, the eyes shriveling in their sockets. After minutes of screaming that sank into helpless, pathetic whimpers, the vampire turned to ashes in the woman's hands.

Wolverine turned to the red haired woman who'd killed some of the vampires. He looked into her eyes and recognized her immediately.

"Abigail Whistler."

Abby jumped in surrise, then peered at her rescuer more closely.

"Logan," she said, finally smiling. She pushed back the hood of her green jacket and plucked the white earbuds from her ears. "What are you doing here?" Abby held out her hand, which Wolverine heartily shook, replying, "Looking for that kid," pointing at the boy who'd rescued her. "And that lady," he added, pointing to the women who had sucked the life out of the vampire. She was helping the boy to his feet. The minute he was on them, the kid threw his arms around the woman's waist and buried his face against her side. For a long moment, they just held each other, with the dark haired woman patting the kid's back until he finally was calm enough to let go.

"Scary, huh?" Heaven asked, brushing back her hair. Moonshine nodded, not trusting himself to be able to speak without stuttering. He hated stuttering in front of strangers.

"You Moonshine?" Wolverine demanded. The boy glared and replied, "What's it to ya?" He took a stance in front of Heaven, obsidian eyes defiant. For a moment, they took on a silver sheen, and another lightbulb, this one further off, exploded into a shower of tinkling shards. "You want somethin'?"

"Your mom's lookin' for ya," Wolverine growled, and felt a flash of satisfaction when Moonshine's eyes lit up. Despite the light in his eyes, the kid still kept a sullen look on his face. Heaven wrapped her arms around the boy's thin shoulders. He spared her a glance, but then returned his furious gaze to Wolverine and Abby. He didn't know whether to believe this man or not. He really wanted to see his mother. And the man had brought Heaven with him. The boy turned to the member of the Red Stars, his eyes questioning. Dawn's mother nodded even as she touched her cool, gentle fingertips to the cuts on his face. He could feel the flesh and muscle knitting back together under her mutant power. Moonshine looked back at the man who'd rescued him.

"I had it sorted," the boy snapped, irritated. He hated the fact that he'd needed rescuing in the first place.

The older man snorted. "Yeah, right."

"I did!" Moonshine snarled, clenching his fists behind his back. He wasn't like his mother, or Starlight- he couldn't suppress physically expressing his emotions. And right now, trying to keep from blowing up a lightbulb or something was top on his priority list. That, and proving to this grown up that he'd had everything under control. If he didn't, that was no one's business but his and the other Celestials.

Overhead, a second light bulb exploded in a shower of glass as its beams flared like a wildfire. Heaven's hand came down gently on his shoulder, squeezing. A soft reminder to keep control over his light manipulation. He swallowed and looked from her calm face to the man he'd heard called "Logan. He relaxed his hands, wiping his sweaty palms on his raggedy jeans. He needed to calm down. He needed to just relax and... and... maybe get an Eegees. Or a milkshake. Or something.

His stomach rumbled at the thought. He realized he hadn't eaten in at least twelve hours- since before coming home from trick-or-treating. The three miniature Hershey bars didn't exactly count.

Ignoring the growlings in his belly and the savage hunger pangs, he refocused on Logan and the woman he'd saved from vampires. Scruffing his haphazardly chopped bangs out of his face, he asked, "So who are you, anyway?"

The woman grinned. She liked the kid's style. Her husband had been right about that. Trying not to laugh at Moonshine's show of bravado, she replied, "Abigail Whistler. I'm with the Nightstalkers. You probably haven't heard of us." Jerking her thumb in the man's direction, she added, "This guy's Wolverine. He's part of the X-Men. Them I _know_ you've heard of."

Moonshine didn't respond to that. It was like he hadn't heard. Instead, he demanded, "Are you gonna take me to my mother?" He shoved his hands into his back pockets.

Wolverine wondered whether he ought to pat the kid on the back or sock him in the face. Attitude was usually pretty annoying... but then, he recognized the arrogance of someone used to giving orders and having them obeyed. And the kid had had a hard day. He'd give him a break.

This time.

"Yeah. Eclipse is waiting for you."

And a small, hesitant smile broke out over the kid's face. Wolverine was amazed at the transformation. For once, he actually looked like the little kid he was supposed to be.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

"So how long were you gone?" New Moon asked, laying down a card. The teenager studied the layout of the cards, calculating in his head. Gambit watched the way his eyes shifted all around, taking in everything- the cards already in play, the ones waiting to be drawn. He even kept track of the nuances of Remy's expression, the way his eyes lit upon each card.

"You countin' cards, _mon ami_?"

"No," he said softly, and laid down another card. "Eclipse says that's cheating."

"It be cheatin'," Gambit reassured him.

"So," the boy said, shifting so that he lay on his stomach on the Blackbird's cool, tile floor. He propped his chin on his fist, holding his cards in the other hand. He spoke softly and moved slowly to keep from waking the other kids. "How long were you gone?"

"A year," Gambit replied, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. He wondered, briefly, if Rogue would still hate him as much if he'd only stayed away for half a year, or three months, or a month. Would she still have considered it a betrayal? Would she- and the others- have reacted the same way? Would Rogue have refused even to see him after that first meeting? The meeting that lasted just long enough for her to slap him with a bare hand, and call him a bastard, before walking out of the room? Would almost everyone have treated him like a stranger? Probably.

Would Jubilee have rushed into his arms and welcomed him the way no one else would? _That_ he did not know.

"Who's Jubilee?" New Moon asked casually as Gambit laid down his own card.

"You be readin' my mind, _mon ami_?"

"Not on purpose," New Moon replied, watching Gambit's expression as he surveyed the cards laid out on the floor. The boy knew the look on the older man's face had nothing to do with the card game and everything to do with the questions he was asking. He wasn't _trying_ to read the Cajun's mind- he didn't have control over his telepathy. And it wasn't as if he could see everything. All he caught were flashes of images and words, jumbled together, and only when laced together with intense emotion... and he hated not knowing the background behind the things he saw and experienced. Laying down a Diamond Jack, he asked again, "So who's Jubilee?"

"She a friend."

"Who hurt her?" The kid didn't know what made him ask. Maybe it was the anger and grief Gambit felt, like the same heartwrenching emotions most of the older Blue Stars felt. Jubilee held the same psychic taste in Remy LeBeau's mind as Eclipse held in Moonshine and Night Thorn's.

Gambit was quiet for so long, New Moon had to wonder whether he'd finally pushed it too far. The grown-up's mind was roiling suddenly with a rage that reminded the teenager of his old life. He didn't want to think about that, about the gang or Petra or that creepy freak who'd always exuded that black rage. Instead, he focused on the adult's face. It was the only reason he saw the single tear trickling from one jet and crimson eye.

"A bad man," Gambit replied, and put down another card. Before New Moon could react, Gambit slapped his hand down on the pair of red Jacks. The teenager swore under his breath.

"Watch your mouf, boy."

Glaring, New Moon got to his feet. Looking down on the mutant still seated cross-legged on the floor, he snapped, "You're not my mother, and you're not the boss of me. Don't tell me what to do." And he went back to lay down beside Sky Flower, who coughed and whimpered in her sleep. The boy slung an arm around her, and she cuddled against him, even in sleep.

Remy watched the kids settling back into sleep, and tried to keep his fury and heartache at bay. It wasn't the boy's fault that even the mention of Jubilee's name made the card thrower's stomach twist with the blackest rage. No one besides himself, the Professor, and Wolverine could understand the deep, blood curdling hate and anger poisoning his mind. Even thinking about the young Chinese-American teenager made him want to murder someone- preferably the son of a whore who'd turned the X-Men's splendid little glowstick girl into the ghost of a flame. But that wasn't New Moon's fault, and if his telepathy wasn't under total control, the painful hatred would make the kid very uncomfortable.

"... rape, no question..."

The sound of Henry McCoy's voice caught Gambit's attention. He turned to where Rogue and Beast talked in the doorway of the Blackbird's ramp. Remy scooped up the playing cards, slipping the deck into his pocket before getting to his feet and walking over to his teammates.

"What we talkin' 'bout over here?"

"Eclipse," Rogue whispered softly, turning away from him. She stared out over the gardens, and Remy was shocked to see a tear roll down her cheek. His hands itched to caress it away, to smooth away the lines of pain etching themselves into her angelic face. Unsure if his presence was welcome, he laid a hand on her shoulder. It began shaking. More tears rolled down her cheeks. Gambit felt each tear like a stone in his gut.

"What's wrong, _cher_?"

"Neither Rogue nor I were prepared for the extent of the damage done to Eclipse's body. Because of the nature of the distress call, the Professor asked me to bring a more thorough medical kit than I otherwise might have thought to. With it, I was able to do much more than I would otherwise. Including DNA testing, as well as examinations on Eclipse and some of the more badly abused children."

"So what?" Gambit asked, shrugging.

"Eclipse was brutally raped. It was incredible that she managed to make it as far as she did before finally collapsing. Her injuries were terrible- lacerated cervix, vaginal tears, fractured pubic bone. Her left hip was dislocated, and her left knee, as well. Her left eye socket is cracked, her right cheek bone chipped. Her lip required stitches. Bruises, lacerations, and green fractures on both femurs, hips, and knees. All in all, it was a miracle that she survived the rape. And this was not the first time such an attack had occurred against her person."

"What?!" Gambit yelped. Then, glancing around surreptitiously to see if he'd wakened any of the children, he whispered, "What?"

"In the X-Rays and bio-scans, the readouts showed she'd conceived and given birth at least five times. When I checked out each of the children and tested them to see if they suffered any illness, I discovered that seven of them had enough genetic markers in common with Eclipse to indicate first generation familial relations."

"What dat supposed ta mean ta Gambit?"

"Night Thorn, Sky Flower, Midna, Orion, Star Fox, Luna, and Crescent are all Eclipse's biological children. Based on their ages, this fact indicates Eclipse conceived and bore at least one child every year. Eclipse is only twenty. Her youngest child is three. Her oldest, Sky Flower and Night Thorn, are eight."

"Are you sayin' she became a mother when she was just twelve years old?" Rogue whispered in shock. "She was just a little girl!"

"Yes. That explains her distrust of adults in general, and males in particular, as well as her fiercely protective streak in regards to the children of her 'team.' The fact that she can still conceive children at all is almost beyond the realm of science to explain. I do not know if she'll be able to carry this child to term."

"Still conceive... this child?! She's pregnant?"

"Yes. Whether it's a result of the rape or a prior dalliance, she _is_ pregnant. We must be extra careful with her."

Yeah, Gambit thought, casting another glance at the woman sleeping on the table-bed. They needed to be careful with all of them.


	2. Last Look

**Chapter Three**

**Last Look**

.

.

No!

A naked Eclipse stumbled backward as the creature oozed its way towards her, hissing and bubbling. Not the white worm! Its mouth gaped at her, its rows of silvered, razor teeth gleaming in the dim light. The fat, white worm squirmed after her as she tried to run. She tripped over her feet and hit her knees on the floor, screaming. Something behind her patella crumbled, giving way to a wave of red hot agony. Sobbing, she tried to crawl away, scoot away, slide, anything! Please, anything, anything! She had to get away!

The worm kept coming, its body hissing and gurgling as it waddled and scuttled across the floor in its own clotted, seminal emissions. No, no, no! Not the worm! No!

"Get away from me!" She screamed, begged, whimpered. "No!" She scrabbled at the slick, tiled floor with her scratched and bleeding hands, but the blood made her grip slippery. Her right leg shook, refusing to support her in any way. Hot, rancid breath washed over her convulsively flailing body, a violating and monstrous caress.

"Help me," she moaned, pushing against the rubbery, white flesh only inches away now. Her feet sank into the giant worm's body. The feel of that sickening carcass enveloping her feet made her scream, the horror of it choking her. Where were her teammates? Where were the children? Where were the X-Men? Why was there no one to help her? She was supposed to be safe!

"Help me!"

One of the worm's smaller tentacles waving in the air, scenting for her, suddenly darted out and wrapped around her waist, dragging her to the floor. It began to pinch, squeeze, crush...

Another tentacle slid up her leg, leaving its slime gleaming and sticky against her skin. She shrieked as it wrapped around her bad knee and gripped it, squeezing. Bones began to tremble and creak under the pressure. Spikes of white fire shot down her calf and up her thigh. No matter how hard she kicked, she couldn't get free of the oppressive, carnivorous meat.

"No! No! No! Please, no, stop! Stop! Help me!"

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

'Gazer watched as Starlight staggered through the crowd, trying not to jostle the infant in her arms. He could see her, see the way her body swayed and dipped and shuddered as she took each step. He needed to grab her now, before she got away from him again-

_Death  
__Everywhere blood  
Crimson splashes on the ground and the walls  
People screaming and crying  
A baby crying  
Starlight screaming  
Flash of metal  
Snarling beast out of nowhere  
Moonshine  
Men in uniforms with guns  
Flash of gunfire  
Agony in his body  
Gasping for air  
Dying-_

'Gazer jerked and shuddered, back in the real world. He'd seen another vision. Being precognitive had its advantages, he thought dryly, wiping away the blood dripping down his face from his left nostril. He blinked the blurriness from his eyes, looked around. He'd lost sight of Starlight when the vision had come on him. Where had the beautiful mutant disappeared to? Where had she gone?

He spotted her, the light gleaming off of her hair and the drunken-like steps, all the way across the subway station as men in the black and brown uniforms of X-Gene hurtled down the stairs leading from the street above. A shadow rose up between the woman and the military men, a shadow with eyes like burning embers.

_Nocturne!_ Gazer thought.

Starlight screamed.

One of the armed men in uniform, his own rifle shouldered, grabbed the mutant hard enough that the bones in her forearm ground together. Starlight could feel her flesh bruising under the iron grip of her assailant. Of course, she'd end up being attacked by a traitorous mutant with super strength like hers, and this guy had more muscle. Looking into flat, black eyes that held not even a spark of humanity, she screamed as he twisted her arm, snapping the bones.

'Gazer lunged forward. He could feel Starlight's pain radiating across the room from him. He knew the minute he showed himself, the shooting would start. He didn't know about Starlight, but he could handle the bullets.

"Gazer!" Starlight screamed, as Sunny, the infant, began squalling. Starlight sank to her knees, shards of cold, white pain spiking through her arm up to her shoulder and down to her fingertips. Sunny's screaming forced pieces of blinding light to flash behind her eyes, lancing her vision, raking her brain. She could feel something warm and wet trickling slowly down the side of her neck from her ear, and prayed it wasn't blood. Her entire body tensed and ached, sinews and tendons and ligaments trying to snap, muscles cramping, bones straining, joints popping. Sunny shrieked, and Starlight struggled not to drop her infant son and run as far away from him as she could. "_Gazer, where are you?!_ _**Gazer!**_"

"Starlight!"

She barely managed to pry her eyelids open in time to see her husband hurtling forward. Built like a football player, 'Gazer's impressive bulk slammed into some of the X-Gene soldiers before they had a chance to fire on him with their guns. But that was all she had time to notice before everything began to gray out and blood began gushing from her nose. She sank to the ground, turning at the last moment so that Sunny was cushioned on her chest. Her skull cracked loudly on the floor.

'Gazer yelled, a wordless war cry of fury as he struggled to get to his wife. Something hit him in the back of the head, and bright red spots danced in front of his eyes. He fell to his knees, groaning. Starlight lay on the pavement, one of the X-Gene men coming slowly toward her.

"No!" He tried to haul himself to his feet. He was impervious to bullets- when he knew they were coming. If he couldn't see the attack, then what good were his powers? The butt of a gun hit him in the back of the head, cracking his skull.

Before he hit the ground, he heard his son wailing, and somewhere, an animal roar.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Eclipse screamed, jerking Gambit, Rogue, and Beast out of their whispered conversation. Several of the sleeping children began to stir as their leader thrashed around, shrieking. Convulsing on the table-bed, she rolled and twisted, tangling herself in the blankets until she fell to the hard tile floor with a crash.

She didn't wake.

A few of the children did. Luna and Crescent began to cry, hiccuping and whimpering in between the great, whooping sobs. New Moon went to them immediately, trying to calm them, but even his best efforts were thwarted by Eclipse's terrified cries. Over and over again, she screamed and begged for help, yelled "No!" She kicked against some Morphean foe, slammed her fists against the floor, whimpering. New Moon hastily looked around, hoping to see Moonshine had arrived while he'd been asleep beside Sky Flower. No such luck. It was up to New Moon to wake Eclipse up... if he could. He wasn't sure his telepathy was strong enough to do any good.

_What is wrong?_

That guy in his head was back! The telepath, way stronger than New Moon. He could wake up Eclipse! He could free her from her nightmares! He could help her come back to reality!

Desperately, New Moon shoved everything he knew about Eclipse and her nightmares into the strange telepath's mind, crying, _Help her! Help her, please! Any second, she's going to start using her powers! She could kill herself!_ Sucking in a breath, the teenager tried to maintain the link between himself and the grownup while projecting soothing thoughts to the two little girls crying into his shirt. How was he supposed to get any sleep while all this stuff kept happening? He'd told Eclipse he didn't want to sleep if she meant to sleep! This hadn't been the reason, but it was still a good idea. Why hadn't she listened to him?

When the screaming stopped, it took New Moon a few moments to recognize the silence for what it was. When the halt to the petrified cries came, the two toddlers immediately quieted their great, hiccupping sobs to whimpering tears into the silky red front of his Chicago Bulls jersey. He looked over at Eclipse, where she lay unmoving on the floor. His heart began to pound. Was she dead?

Gambit, the card playing Cajun, held the unmoving mutant in his arms. New Moon couldn't hear what he was whispering, but apparently it was working. Even as the teenager watched, the leader of the Celestials relaxed visibly, bit by bit, in his arms. Her teeth released the vicious grip they'd held on her bottom lip. Blood welled up and trickled from the bite. The boy heard the big, furry, blue guy mutter something about ripped stitches, sounding concerned. New Moon swallowed hard, rubbing Crescent's back. As exhausted as they both were, he didn't have to do anything to get them to fall back asleep after the screams stopped. Thankfully, none of the others had woken up. He was surprised- usually, the sound of the weeping toddlers would have woken every child on the plane. New Moon guessed they were too tired.

Stifling a yawn, he added silently that he was too tired as well. He needed to just curl up and sleep for a year. Pulling his blanket back over himself, he let himself cuddle against Sky Flower. Her presence eased his pounding heartbeat. Resting his cheek on the soft pillow- the softest he'd had in a long time- he sighed, allowing Sky Flower's breathing to lull him into restfulness.

_Thanks,_ the boy thought just before slipping off again into sleep.

_Don't mention it._

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

The Card Soldier wouldn't let anything happen to her. Eclipse settled into the arms of the Ace of Spades, feeling like Alice in Wonderland. An entire deck of Card Soldiers, swords and axes gleaming, stood between her and the quivering, bleeding, dying worm.

"Everything's fine, _cher,_" the Ace of Spades murmured soothingly. She sighed, feeling the exhaustion and pain catching up with her again.

At least now, she had a safe place to rest.

At last.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

_Charles!_

An urgent cry in his mind shattered the Professor's scrutiny of the connection he'd spun out between Gambit and the mutant called Eclipse. Jerking back to awareness, trying to focus on the earnest cry in his head, he reached out, trying to connect. He recognized the voice, the mind, the woman. He knew her as he knew his own soul.

_Lilandra! Lilandra, what's wrong?_

_I am offering you a warning, Charles. The Encron Crystal! The Phoenix!_

For a moment, his heart stopped. No, not the Phoenix! The powerful, cosmic entity that could destroy worlds, that had taken the strongest minds to even bring under control for a few moments, it could not be trusted. After what it had done to Jean, the very mention of the creature called Phoenix filled the parapalegic with a hideous dread that made his heart sink in his chest. Was the being loose again? Was it entrenched in the soul and mind of another powerful psychic, desperate to experience all the new feelings it was denied as a galactic being?

_What is it, Lilandra?_

_The Phoenix had warned of a great danger coming to Earth. It threatens to destroy everything you've worked for, Charles._

_Apocalypse?_ He asked. Back into the fierce, psychic bond they shared, he could feel her shake her head. He could feel the brush of her eyelashes against her cheek, feel her struggle to put into words what the Phoenix had whispered into her mind. But what if it was all a trick?

_No, not that one. Not Sinister, either. I do not know. The Phoenix does not know. But someone is coming to you that will try to destroy your X-Men. Something powerful and dangerous. Something mad._

The thought made the powerful telepath shiver. Anything with power could be dangerous. Look at the Phoenix. Look at Storm. Look at the Professor himself. But power in the right hands was only a tool, like any other. A power, like all mutant powers. But if the wielder of that great and dangerous power were insane... then what? What could happen? All of civilization might be destroyed.

_Do you know if it is human or mutant? Do you know anything about it?_

_I'm sorry, Charles, I do not. And I must go. I am not as strong a telepath as you are, and the link is draining the powers of my mind._

He could feel the touch of phantom lips against his own, and it made his eyes burn. He tried to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. How had he been so blessed to have found his other half? And how had he been so cursed as to lose her again, to their respective duties? They had had such a short time together when he'd gone to the Shi'ar Empire to be helped. They'd been together every day that he'd been allowed to stay, but there had come that bitter day when they had been forced to part again. Now, they had only their psychic bond to sustain them.

_Goodbye, Lilandra,_ he whispered softly into her mind. He could feel her pain, the sharp hurt in the area around her heart. It mirrored the sharp lancing pain he himself felt.

_Goodbye, Charles Xavier._

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Gambit only broke from the trance the Professor had shown him how to reach, the trance connecting his consciousness to Eclipse's subconscious, when he heard soft, muffled weeping. Thanks to the Professor's excellent control and power experimentation, the image of the card soldier army from Alice in Wonderland was still maintained in Eclipse's sleeping mind, allowing her peace from the hateful nightmares that plagued her. It gave Remy the ability to check and see who was crying.

It was the little girl with the cough. She was scrubbing her cheeks, trying to shove away the tears. She shook under the thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She was sitting beside the sleeping New Moon, her gaze riveted on the sleeping teenager.

"_Petite_?"

She glanced up at him, and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"What da mattah, _Petite_? Ya have a nightmare?"

The shuddering, sobbing sigh she gave him was answer enough. Looking at her face, at the misery etched into those cheeks that should've given life to dimples and that tiny, angel's mouth that should've been smiling, made Gambit's eyes burn. She got up and walked over to him. She sat down on the cool floor, tucking her feet beneath her, and laid her head on the sleeping mutant's stomach. Tears still gleamed like wet diamonds as they dripped from her nose to plop onto the floor of the Blackbird.

"Here, _Petite._ Gambit gonna show you a trick," he told her, and she jerked upright, eyes wide in her head. Her breathing sped up, whistling between her clenched teeth. Her hands were tightened into little fists. He added, sounding casual, "A card trick. See?"

He pulled out his playing cards, keeping one eye on the girl's lip, which she'd bitten until blood came. Her shoulders were hunched, like she expected a blow. Gambit had to throttle his rage: she acted like she'd been severely abused, probably sexually. If the phrase "show you a trick" was any indication, than whoever had been taking care of her- Eclipse would know, when she woke up- had _a lot_ to answer for. But he kept his fury out of his voice and off of his face as he held three of the cards out to her and said, "If _Petite _would be so kind, pick da card foh Gambit." She picked the middle one. He knew it was the Queen of Hearts, he could see the image reflected in the glassy orbs of her eyes. She gave it back to him, and he shuffled the deck, working good ol' Gambit magic.

He saw the little girl keep her eyes on his hands and the deck the entire time, frowning as she muffled her coughing. It was much better now, he noticed. She didn't seem as if she'd be ripped in half everytime one of those coughs came, and they weren't so rough and ragged, either.

Remy held the deck out to her, and said, "Is yo' card on da top?"

Her cheeks were still wet with tears, he noted. That poor _bebe,_ someone had to do something to make her smile. But he didn't let that thought cross his features, either. He simply waited until the girl gave him a single, wild-shy glance and grabbed the card on the top of the deck. She stared at it for a long, long time, eyes intent, scanning every detail. He'd never seen a look of such intense concentration on a child's face before. Finally, after an eternity, he was rewarded with the most beautiful thing he'd seen all night.

She smiled at him.

"Keep da card, _Petite."_

When she went back to sleep beside New Moon, she held the Queen of Hearts in one hand, and tucked the thumb of the other hand into its designated place in her mouth. Gambit couldn't help smiling either as he went back to the mental place that the Professor had created to help him help Eclipse sleep.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

"So my Mom's waiting?" Moonshine asked. Wolverine shot him a look- he didn't exactly sound like he cared whether Eclipse was waiting or not. The smile that had lit up his face a few moments before had disappeared as quickly as it had come. Now he was back to being the surly 38-year-old in an 8-year-old's body. How had this kid popped out, anyway? Where was the attitude coming from?

"Yeah," Wolverine growled, keeping an eye on both the kid and Heaven. The young woman looked about ready to keel over. The adamantium claw wielding mutant was a sucker for a fainting woman. "Your siblings, too."

"New Moon, too?" The kid asked. Where was all this suspicion and cynicism coming from? Little kids shouldn't be like that. It was against the laws of nature. But Logan kept that observation to himself and replied, "Yeah, New Moon, too. He said he needed to talk to you about something."

"'Cause you totally don't sound like you're an axe-murderer now," Moonshine muttered, but fell quiet when Heaven put her hand on his shoulder. The boy didn't want to upset Heaven, he could feel from the way she carried herself that she needed a huge break. She was probably worried about Dawn, come to think of it, the boy thought. Like his mom was probably worried about him. Suddenly, he wanted to see Eclipse more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life. Was she all right? Was she hurt? Did she know he was okay?

"So, Abbs, you're okay," a new voice broke in, jerking everyone's attention to him.

It was guy with long, silver blond hair. Moonshine had to admit he looked kind of like an elf out of the Lord of the Rings, or maybe Meredith Gentry. It was how Moonshine himself wanted to look when he grew up- tall, as tall as everyone, and with muscles, and have his hair long. Maybe some guys would make fun of him for wanting hair like his mom's, long and shining and white like moonlight, but he loved his mom, thought she was the kick, the cat's pajamas. And this guy had long, silver hair, just like his mom's, and green eyes the color of acid. He was all in black, from his steel-toed combat boots to his black trench coat. The only color to him was his skin, his silver hair, and those poison eyes.

The guy next to him, with golden eyes and dark hair, was Edward Swann, one of Eclipse's lieutenants! Edward, aka Twilight, didn't so much as bat an eyelash as he left the strange man's side to go and stand beside Heaven, flanking Moonshine. The boy had to fight back the grin trying to steal across his face.

"Sure, I'm okay," Abby replied. "Logan, this is Midnight. He's one of the Nightstalkers. I take it you guys know Twilight?"

"Yeah," Moonshine replied casually, shrugging. "Where'd you find him?" He looked up at Twilight. The twenty-one-year-old mutant replied, "I saved Midnight's butt." He shrugged himself, then ruffled Moonshine's hair and laughed. "Did you miss me, kid?" The kid finally gave into the urge to smile, but it was just a little one.

"No," he lied.

"Anyway," Abby interrupted. "Midnight, this is Logan, and that's Heaven, and the kid is Moonshine."

Wolverine shook Midnight's hand, feeling a bizarre sense of deja vu. Who was this guy? He smelled so familiar. He looked familiar, too, like the mutant had known him a long, long time ago. Maybe in Japan... or Canada? And touching the guy made his fingers tingle, which was about the full effect alcohol held on him. What the hell? But it was only for a moment. Then this Midnight character had released his hand and focused on Heaven and Moonshine. He bowed to Heaven, a bizarre but somehow right gesture, sketched Twilight a salute, and then turned his absinthe gaze to the kid by her side.

"Hello, Moonshine."

"H-hi."

For one of the few times in his life, Moonshine didn't know what to say. Everything in him screamed that he knew this guy, that he could trust him, that one of the safest places he could ever be was with him. But this guy, this Midnight... he was a grown-up. And he was a man. Eclipse had been so badly hurt by strange men before, and so had the others, like Sky Flower... how _could_ he trust this guy? He didn't even _know_ him! The only reason he trusted Wolverine at all was because he had Heaven with him, and she wouldn't have led the older man back to Moonshine if she didn't think he was safe.

"Thanks for taking care of Abby for me," Midnight said.

"Mm-hmmm," was all he could say. Midnight winked at him, and said, "Look after your mom and your brothers and sisters, okay? And get back to Eclipse, she's worried sick about you."

Wolverine jerked, and Heaven stared. Twilight just smiled a smug little smile and put his gloved hands in the pockets of his blue jeans. All Moonshine could say was, "Oh... okay." And then, before he could gather himself up enough to come up with something else to say, something to ask, Abby and this Midnight guy were gone. It was only after the man had left, and Moonshine shook himself back to the present, that he realized he wanted to know a few things: how had Midnight known he'd tried to save Abby? How had he known that he had brothers and sisters? And how had he known about Eclipse?

Before Moonshine could ask Wolverine or Heaven for an explanation, something rocked him, hard: the sound of Starlight screaming, _**"Gazer!"**_

"Starlight!" Moonshine cried, and lunged toward the source of the sound, only to be grabbed by Wolverine, who kept a good grip on the back of his shirt. "Lemme go! It's Starlight and Stargazer, they're in trouble! Lemme go!" But the adult mutant lifted him up and tossed him to Heaven, who barely managed to catch him without dropping him to the pavement. Feeling heat spread across his face, Moonshine lunged foward again, this time at the glowering Wolverine, only to be caught by Heaven's arms around his middle. He yelled, "Where are you going?!" He struggled to reach Logan's retreating form, fought against Heaven's restraining arms. "They're in trouble!"

"And I'm gonna get them out of it. Stay there."

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Jean Grey jerked awake with a terrified cry that wrenched itself out from between her clenched teeth with the force of a tsunami. She heard something like glass explode, fragments tinkling as they cascaded to the floor. She tried to ignore the twinge of guilt for not controlling her power better and opened her eyes to see the Professor and Scott leaning over her, both of their faces twisted with concern. Then the headache began, the brutal pounding right behind her eyes, and she knew she'd be in pain for a long time, probably all night.

"Jean?" Scott murmured, smoothing back her hair. The tender gesture made her feel a little better, but that sense of impending dread still hung over her. The strange fear that had pushed her over the edge into unconsciousness.

"Just...a minute..." She protested weakly, covering her burning eyes with one hand. She tried to push past the pain of her headache- a headache swiftly pushing out of its cocoon like some satanic caterpillar to turn into a migraine- and tried to reach out to the X-Men. She could feel them, like looking at someone from the corner of your eye, but the moment she turned her head, they'd vanish like evanescent ghosts. She tried, crawling across the fields of psychic depth and breadth, trying to cast her mind out to Manhattan, where her friends struggled to fulfill their mission.

She met an impenetrable wall, like a wall of smooth, polished bone. She tried to touch it, to figure out what bizarre thing blocked her from the people she loved, and found herself screaming. Pain lanced her eyes, lanced her mind, shooting from her temples to spear her soft, unprotected brain. Blood poured from her nose. She convulsed on the bed, clutching at Scott's hand as he tried to calm her, tried to tell her it would be all right, _was_ all right.

"Jean!"

_Jean!_

The Professor in her mind, trying to reach her, trying to protect her from the snarling agony in her head, trying to fight against the influence of whatever psychic obstacle, psychic _trap_, she had touched and triggered. She heard laughter, familiar laughter, dark and sinister, and yet different, and only when the Professor pushed her mind into merciful blackness did that diabolical cackling stop cutting at her.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Hank McCoy stalked through the gargantuan hedge maze growing up around him, searching. Something- an innate, primal sense, the inner perceptions of the hunter in him- told him that what he and the X-Men were looking for could be found right here, in this vernal labyrinth. So he wandered, sniffing out the scent of mutant, listening for footsteps or disturbed foliage. The hairs on his arms and neck were all standing on end, electrified by the intensity of his focus on the quarry he hunted. He knew they were here, he _knew_ that one of them, at least, was here in the maze, possibly following the tracks of the rest of the mutant group the X-Men had rescued. How many were there? At least one, he was sure.

His assertion grew into the utmost certainty when he smell perfume. This scent, this delicate odor of fresh rain and rose blossoms combined with the crisp richness of the rising sun grabbed hold of his senses and refused to relinquish him. That perfume danced in his nostrils, whispered over his skin, beckoned him. He shook his head, trying to fight that inexorable pull. He knew there was something strange about this attraction to that smell, but he didn't know what. The fact that he longed to track down the source of that smell without thinking first of his safety was a problem, he was certain, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. His mouth began watering, and he shook himself. He would not wander around, slavering like some starving, rabid mongrel beast just because of some woman's perfume.

The whole thing smacked of mutant powers. Perhaps he had found one of the missing mutants after all.

Then he heard the screamed curse, a woman cussing obscenely so that even as he launched himself into action, loping through the maze towards the sound of that woman's enraged voice, Beast found himself blushing hotly. He had no idea anyone could be so inventive.

He leapt over the last wall and landed in front of the shrieking woman. He spared her a glance, and was nearly floored by a woman with hair like a sunrise spun into silken threads, her eyes like the red of a flower ablaze like burning rose petals. That remarkable scent was coming from her, but mingled with it now was the scent of blood. In less than a nano-second, he realized why, as he noticed she was clutching her shoulder, which bled sluggishly through her fingers. Flanking her were two women, identical in all respects except the color of their hair and eyes: one woman, with long, golden blond hair and flaming amber, the other with pale, white blond hair and a gaze of sea blue. They both had knives drawn, and stood in defensive stances, obviously trying to protect the bleeding woman between them. Their blue jeans were filthy and ragged, their sneakers scuffed and caked with mud, and their thin, black sweaters were ripped and full of holes, baring pale skin underneath, mottled by bruises.

"Evening, ladies," he said conversationally, and proceeded to grab a gun from one of the assailants. Seeing the naked fear in the eyes of the men assembled before him, he grinned, baring his long, animal-like teeth and roared like a mad beast.

To the women's obvious astonishment, the four men who'd been about to do them injury ran like frightened rabbits.

"How did you- ow!- do that? Ow," the injured one added, squeezing the bleeding shoulder. She glared at it with such hatred that Beast almost recoiled. As if her shoulder had a mind of its own, and had decided just at random to get in the way of a biting bullet. But Hank didn't have time to deal with his shock at the woman's behavior. He needed to guarantee they were some of the people he was looking.

"What have you done with Eclipse?" The blue eyed woman demanded in the ensuing silence. Hank blinked. Apparently they _were._ This woman glared, trembling in her shoes, but not from fear. He would've been able to smell fear. All he could smell off of any of them was the gorgeous perfume, and blood.

"Well," the third woman added, obviously the blue-eyed woman's twin sister. "Tell us. I'm so fed up with tonight that I wouldn't think twice about ripping you to shreds to get my information, you jerk." The injured woman added, gritting her teeth against the pain, "Or lighting you up like a bonfire."

"And you are?"

"Aurora," she snapped, and glared again at her shoulder. Beast realized she wasn't simply holding her shoulder, she was digging in the wound with her fingers. Horrified, he cried, "You should wait for a doctor." But the woman only hissed, her entire body taut with the agonizing burning sensation throbbing through her body, and plucked out a bullet. Dropping it onto the ground, she went back to gripping her now freely bleeding shoulder. Beast smelled burning flesh.

"What are you doing?" He asked, taking a step toward her. She jerked away from him, her eyes alight now with a strange, crimson light. "I mean you no harm."

"Right, you just wanna help," Blue-Eyes snarled. "And for your information, jerk, my name is Nadine. Call me that and I'll drown you."

"Drown me?"

"I'm a hydrokinetic. Now, what do you want?"

"I only want to help-"

"We're busy right now, so you come near me and I'll fry you like an egg," Aurora snapped.

"Do you like blue eggs and ham?" He asked, making an attempt at humor. Against his intentions, Aurora scowled. Turning her head away from him, she ground out between her teeth, "I'm seventeen, not seven. Don't treat me like a kid."

Hank repressed a shiver. Seventeen? How had she become so... bitter? So suspicious? And so hardened to pain, he added silently when she took her hand away from the wound in her left shoulder. She must have been pyrokinetic, he realized when he saw the still sizzling, shining flesh of a burn on her shoulder. She'd cauterized the wound, to stop the bleeding and prevent infection. So she also knew more about treating serious wounds like that one than any teenager should know.

"Well," the last woman said into the poignant silence, "you're not our enemy, that's for certain. And I'm Daystar. Don't make me hurt you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Aurora replied, rotating her arm. He could see it hurt, she was wincing the whole time. But then she shrugged, and picked up something shining and black from the ground- a leather jacket. It had the Corvette logo on the back in red and white. "If you _were_ my enemy, you wouldn't feel sorry for me. Don't be stupid," she added. "So, are you going to lead me to my boss or am I gonna have to fry you?"

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Starlight woke to being carried across a man's back. She would've panicked, but the moment she moved her head to get a better look at her surroundings, she saw 'Gazer, and he didn't look too upset. And then her focus shifted lower, and she saw Moonshine walking with him, hands stuffed in his pockets. She knew he hated swinging his arms when he walked- said it made him feel childish. She turned her head the other way and saw the welcome sight of one of her bosses, Heaven, arms tucked up under her fringed, cream-colored poncho, walking slowly beside them. Arranged beside them were two of their team: Twilight and the dark skinned Nocturne.

"You're wife's awake," the man holding her said. She jumped- his voice rumbled through his body like an earthquake. Suddenly she found herself on her feet, which didn't hurt anymore. She glanced again at Heaven, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Starlight!" 'Gazer immediately enfolded her in his one free arm. The other one was engaged in holding their son. Almost at once, she melted into his arms. This man who'd been carrying her was not their enemy, then. They were all right. They were safe.

They started walking again.

"This is Wolverine," 'Gazer added, acknowleding the rough, ragged man with the slight Canadian accent, who raised a hand in greeting. "He's taking us to Saint Peter's Gardens, and then we're going to a safe place, everyone. Eclipse and the rest of the kids are waiting for us at the Gardens. Starlight," and his voice dropped to an anticipatory hush. "Starlight, Wolverine's from the X-Men. The X-Men are going to help us."

Suddenly she remembered something- silver bright, metal claws slashing through the men crowding around her with their guns, and a roar of primal rage. Had it been this man? She could barely remember, she'd been in so much pain. It was amazing that she'd woken up that long.

Speaking of pain...

"'Gazer," she whispered. "Can they fix me? Me and Sunny, can they fix it?" If someone could break the unnatural connection between Starlight and her son, she'd be their best friend for life.

"Maybe," he whispered back. "Maybe."

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

New Moon gasped and bolted upright, drenched in icy sweat. Disoriented at the metallic sheen to everything around him, it took the teenage a few minutes to remember everything that had happened. Even then, he didn't relax for a long minute. He had to forcefully remind himself that he was in a safe place, and no one would hurt him. His boss was here, and if he were really in trouble, Eclipse wouldn't let a little thing like lack of consciousness stop her from saving him, or any of the kids. And, he reminded himself, he had superpowers. He could fight back, too.

_There is no need for you to fight back, New Moon,_ that familiar voice said calmly in his mind. _You're among friends. Don't be afraid. _Half listening, the kid shivered, surprised to find that he was cold. He hastily pulled the blanket he'd been sleeping beneath up and around his shoulders. Only then did he reply, _Your word ain't worth nothin' till you prove what you're saying. So quit wandering around inside my head._

_Would you like to know who has rescued you?_

_You're the X-Men, I know,_ New Moon snapped. _I ain't stupid. So what?_

"New Moon," someone called.

Wolverine saw New Moon look up, startled, from where he and the others stood behind the young boy. New Moon saw the best thing he could've hoped to see in his life- Moonshine. Moonshine looking pissed off as hell and ragged as a stray dog, but it was still Moonshine. If New Moon had been a girl, he probably would've jumped to his feet and ran to his best friend and hugged him. But, then, he wasn't a girl, he was a teenage boy, and he needed to keep his cool. He was second-in-command of the Blue Stars, for crying out loud. He needed to keep it cool, keep it real.

"Hey, man," he said, getting slowly to his feet. Moonshine held out his hand, and they did the most complicated handshake Wolverine had ever seen. They were both grinning, obviously happy to see each other. For the first time all night, Wolverine saw Moonshine relax almost completely. He let go of that last little bit of tension when he turned and saw Eclipse sleeping curled up on the table they used as an emergency bed.

Moonshine trudged over to where his mother lay sleeping. He touched her face, careful to avoid the black eye. It really was his mother. He'd been so scared he'd never see her again... and here she was. And she looked so peaceful and relaxed, sleeping here in this strange place, that Moonshine came to two conclusions: one, he wasn't going to wake her up right then, to show himself to her. She'd never slept so soundly since he could remember. He wanted her peace to last as long as possible. And two, this place had to be okay. If it wasn't, if these people meant him or the other Celestials harm, there was no way they could get Eclipse to just snooze around like nothing was going on. And they hadn't drugged her- he could tell the minute he touched her. No intoxication could escape him undetected. After all, poison was his power, wasn't it?

He waited, standing beside his mom, until Starlight and Stargazer were settled with their baby, and Heaven was seated beside the sleeping Dawn, before he went to New Moon again and they huddled together, seated on the cold floor, to discuss things. He saw Wolverine walk out- presumably to go find the few people left- and the only stranger left on the plane was a man asleep in a chair beside Eclipse, snoring softly. Now was the perfect time for a conference.

"So, what all's happened since we split?" Moonshine asked, and the older boy gave a sweeping glance over the plane before replying, "We got separated from Eclipse and..."

As the teenager gave his leader a report on the events of the night, Moonshine half-disengaged his mind, trying to figure out what to do next. He knew the correct answer was to wait for his mother to wake up, but he was still spinning his little hamster wheel, trying to figure out if he had forgotten anything. Apparently, these X-Men had given everyone medical attention who needed it. So if they did have to make another break for it, they'd have a better chance than they would've otherwise. But everyone was still exhausted. Where did that leave them? What would they do if the X-Men were actually trying to hurt them? Now, Moonshine had never heard anything negative about the X-Men when it came to helping mutants in trouble, even if those mutants were on the wrong side of the law, as long as they didn't do anything bad while under the X-Men's care. That's what he'd _heard._ What if the gossip was wrong? What if they were the enemy? If they got the Celestials lulled into a sense of security, then took off with them in their plane, how would they escape? Not enough of them were capable of flying. What were they supposed to do?!

"What d'ya think about these guys?" Moonshine asked New Moon as soon as the report was finished.

New Moon shrugged. He knew that the guy asleep by Eclipse was from the bayou, and played cards. Sky Flower liked him. He liked the kids, and he, at least, wanted to help. His name was Gambit. But Gambit also had some frustration, directed at the other three mutants of the X-Men, particularly the red-haired woman with the streak of white who stood sentry with the big, scary adult called Wolverine. Wolverine was considered "okay," Moonshine informed him when New Moon inquired about the clawed mutant. Not having a lot of experience in regards to the man with the metal claws, the teenager gave way for his leader's opinion. Moonshine had come in with him, after all. And lastly, there was the big, blue, furred mutant who'd gone out looking for others. He'd been the one to help the kids who were injured, as well as fix up Eclipse so she could make it until they reached the place the X-Men called "the Mansion."

"So he's okay?" Moonshine demanded.

"Yeah. Look, Moonshine..."

"Yeah?"

"You were right," New Moon admitted. He brushed ineffectually at that irritating curtain of spikes. "I should've listened to you and helped you plan our escape routes. If I had, we might've had a better chance and not gotten split up." He bit his lip until he tasted blood. Frustration and anger at himself made him bite down even harder.

"Next time," Moonshine replied, drawing his knees up to his chest. "You'll help me, and we won't have that problem. No big deal. So, who's this guy who's been talkin' to ya in your head?"

_My name is Charles Xavier-_

_Buzz off, wacko!_ Moonshine snapped, rage giving his thought a sharp sting. He was used to telepaths prowling around in his head, and it freaking pissed him off. Only his mom and New Moon had permission to go strolling through his head, dang it! The boy flushed, and cast a glance at his mother's sleeping form. He kind of wished his mom would take a trip in his brain right now. It would make him feel a little better, because he'd know she wasn't so badly hurt she couldn't pry and poke at his thoughts. But she didn't, which meant she was. The boy clenched his fist, struggling not to hit something. He didn't want to wake anyone.

_Is that anyway to speak to your elders?_

_You do that again, I'm gonna tell my mom, and she'll kick your telepathic ass, got it?_

Thankfully, after that threat- and Moonshine meant it with all his heart- the voice and presence in his head quickly left. Despite the haste of the retreat and its coincidence with his threat, however, the boy had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't because of the threat of Eclipse's retaliation that had made that presence dissipate. In fact, Moonshine thought it was more his own displeasure, and the politeness of the psychic being rather than real fear.

That idea made the boy very uncomfortable, but he was too tired to give it much thought. He really just wanted to sleep.

So he did.

He missed Beast arriving with the last members of their team.

**Oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oo8oO**

Somewhere in the van, a cellular phone rang.

"Dawson here...  
Yes...  
Yes, we're in the city...  
Yes, we're tracking our little spy...  
Yes. Not to worry, we know exactly where they are...  
Yes, sir...  
Yes, sir. Saint Peter's Gardens...  
Don't worry, we've got them tra...  
Yes, sir, we know about X-Men...  
Search and destroy, sir?...  
Yes, sir. Understood sir...  
Thank you, sir."

The line went dead.


	3. Get Away

**Chapter Four  
Get Away**

.

.

"When's Mommy waking up?" A soft voice whispered.

Gambit glanced up from watching the flaxen-haired mutant sleeping with her body curled protectively around two of the youngest children, who slept slumped against her torso, their heads pillowed on each other's shoulders. Most of the other children were fast asleep in the backseats of the Blackbird, curled up as the chairs reclined to create comfortable, cradle-like beds. The child who had spoken, however, was not asleep, and neither were the three young men to whom she had spoken. The red-eyed Cajun card thrower recognized _le petite cherie_, to whom he had given the playing card he'd done the magic trick with. Two of the three boys were twins, identical, and so Gambit could not figure out which of the pair was the boy who had come in with Wolverine, and which was the child who had been with the gaggle of poor, abused waifs found in the gardens outside. The third and last child was the dark-skinned boy who looked to be the oldest child in the group, and their spokesman.

"Sky," one of the twins muttered wearily. "Mom needs to rest, okay? She got hurt, and she's trying to heal. You know that. Just relax, okay? What do you want Mom for, anyways?"

"Thorn," the other twin replied. "Leave Sky alone. She probably wants to snuggle up with Midna and Luna. _They_ get to sleep with Mom, if you haven't noticed."

"Look, Moonshine," the other boy, Thorn, broke in. "Mom really needs her rest-"

"D'you think I don't know that? Do you?! _I'm_ the Blue Commander, in case you've forgotten, Night Thorn. We're almost the same age, and I'm actually three minutes older than you. Don't try to pull age on me, okay? I know what's going on. I'm not a kid. So why don't you go jump off a bridge, pin head? I don't need my little brother trying to tell me how to do my job. Mom's _my_ responsibility, not yours. So shut up."

By this time, Gambit could see tears rolling down Night Thorn's cheeks in the pale glow from the dim bulbs barely casting any light onto the floor of the X-Men's super-jet. Remy thought seriously about intervening in the fight when he saw Sky, the little girl's shoulders hunched and shaking, her head down, hidden by the mass of dark hair hanging around her head and shoulders. The card player from the Louisiana bayou had opened his mouth to speak, to chastise the kid whose big mouth had made his little _petite cher_ cry, when he saw New Moon, the oldest boy, punch Moonshine hard in the left kidney. Moonshine grunted and turned to the older boy, his hand balled into a white-knuckled fist.

Gambit winced. This was how barroom brawls began. A man said something foolish, a woman cried, and another man took offense and started swinging. The X-Man moved to intervene when suddenly Moonshine's fist dropped and he turned jerkily away from New Moon to throw his arms around his sister.

"Sorry, Sky," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to yell. I'm just tired. Gosh, I'm just so frackin' tired. And sorry, Thorn," he added, looking at his twin. "I'm tired. I'm so tired. We all are. It's making us edgy and angry. We just all need to sleep."

"_You_ need to sleep," Thorn snapped at him. "You look half-dead."

"Thanks much, bro."

"Sky Sandwich," the little _cherie_ suggested in a quavery voice.

Both boys exchanged a glance and sighed, nodding. Carefully, they arranged themselves, each boy on either side of the little girl. New Moon smiled wearily, shaking his head, and laid himself out so that Sky could use his stomach as a pillow, when suddenly he bolted upright with a strangled cry. He gawped and gasped, as if he'd been punched in the gut.

"Circle!" He yelled when he'd gotten his breath. "Circle Alert, Circle Alert!" He scrambled to his feet, hauling the other three up rapidly. "Circle Alert! _Violet Call_!"

Nocturne, Twilight, Starlight and Stargazer, Aurora and Daystar, Orion and Nightlight all bolted to their feet. Daystar shoved her golden blond hair out of her face and grabbed her sister, jerking her arm hard to wake her up from the heavy slumber she'd sunk into upon arriving at the Blackbird. The rescued mutants all looked around wildly, suddenly frantic. Twin balls of blue fire sprouted from the center of Daystar's palms as she planted herself back to back with her sibling, who hawked a gob of frothy spit into the palm of her hand. The two of them painted a rather comical picture, especially her sibling, but there was an air of menace and lethal intent in the disgusting movement that belied its appearing innocence.

"New Moon, what's wrong?" Nightlight cried. "The X-Men are good guys!"

"Not them!" He yelped. "Not them, X Gene! X Gene!"

At the name, Sky Flower gasped and began to cry. Night Thorn and Moonshine went bone white, and Orion stuck his thumb in his mouth and began to suck intently. Nightlight's skin began to glow a brilliant lime green as she bit her lip. The other children were barely waking up, but even they had caught on to the tension the adults were exhibiting.

"Eclipse!" New Moon yelled. "Eclipse!" Every child save the baby asleep in Starlight's arms woke at the frantic call for the white-haired mutant woman. "Circle Alert! Circle Alert!"

"_Red-Blue!_"

New Moon fell silent at Moonshine's strange response. Although still ashen-faced, he seemed somewhat calmer as the younger boy approached, with the young Orion in tow. He pushed the little boy forward, towards New Moon, who put a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes. Orion wrinkled his nose and sneezed three times. The adults, even the X-Men, were watching them intently. Orion sniffed the air, scruffing his raggedly chopped, fox-red hair with a free hand. He sneezed again, and rubbed at his nose. New Moon demanded, "Well?"

"What's the ruckus?" Wolverine demanded, and got up from his comfortable seat at the front of the plane. " 'Ey, kid," he called, and Moonshine glanced over at him. "What's the problem?"

"We've got company," Heaven snarled under her breath.

The wild-haired mutant glanced at her and saw that her skin was paling. He could see the shadows of her bones against her paper thin skin. Shivering, she pulled her denim jacket closer around herself.

"X-Gene is here. New Moon sensed their thoughts. Orion is attempting to figure out-"

"Guns," the little boy said suddenly. "Lots of metal. Sweat. They stink."

"How can you smell that?" Beast asked, amazed. "The air is filtered before it enters the plane. Much of the smells on the air are already gone by the time they get inside the Blackbird."

"New Moon is pushing Orion's mind outside of the plane, where the bad guys are," Moonshine murmured, eying Wolverine warily. "Don't you ever combine your mutant powers? Don't you have any telepathic boosters?"

"Like the T&Ts in the _Pegasus_ books," Sky Flower whispered.

"Like the what in the what, sugar?" Rogue asked, but the young girl, as well as Orion, ignored her, and turned back to New Moon.

"Men with guns?" The younger boy asked. The teenager nodded, replying, "Big guns. And I'm sensing what you're sensing - something poisonous. Tranquilizers?" Moonshine nodded. The older boy went on, "Hostile intent. We gotta run, man."

"Where the heck are we gonna go? Circle Alert, you said. We're surrounded. There's no place to run _to. _I wish my mom would wake up."

"Me, too," Night Thorn murmured. He turned to Eclipse, who twitched and shuddered. "Maybe we should wake her up. Have you tried to touch her mind, New Moon?" The teen nodded vigorously. "Nothing?" A head shake. "That means she's buried deep. Even if we scream, she might not wake up. But Eclipse is the strongest of us. What if we need her?"

"We're dead," Dawn wailed. "We're dead, we're dead. They're gonna kill us! Mommy!" The little boy with the broken leg reached out to the thin, flower-child-like woman, who immediately went to him and took his hand, squeezing tightly. "Mommy, they're here! They're gonna get us! They're gonna, they're gonna p-p-put us in cages again and take you and everyone away from us and we'll never see you again and-"

"That's not true," Heaven replied. "Nothing like that will ever happen again. I won't let it."

"But what if they kill you?"

"Relax, kid," Logan interrupted, his wry tone breaking the tension a bit. The Celestials turned towards the X-Man, who unsheathed his adamantium claws. "No one's taking you _or_ your mom - or any of you guys - anywhere you don't want to go. And nothing is gonna happen to your mom. Don't worry about these bozos."

"Why should we trust you guys to be able to help us?" Aurora snapped, flexing her burned shoulder.

"Mom!" Moonshine cried as pale silver lashes fluttered open to reveal eyes blacker than sloe.

Slowly, with a groan of effort barely muffled, the pale woman, who had been put in a thin, formless hospital-issue shift after her examination by Beast, rose to her feet and stretched, cracking her back. She winced in obvious pain, but ignored it and walked forward until she could kneel in front of Moonshine, who looked as if he'd swallowed a live fish. She put her hands on his shoulders, and Gambit noticed for the first time that her fingers were twisted and stiff, as if she were missing one of the joints in some of her fingers.

"M-Mom... Mommy-"

He fell silent as her eyes locked with his and her eyebrows drew together. Silent, telepathic communication, intense and urgent, flowed between the young photokinetic and the white-haired woman for long moments before he broke away and said, "We need to leave, Logan. Mom and New Moon can keep the bad guys busy until we leave, but we can't fight them. Not now, anyway."

"Kid, can you-" Wolverine began, unsheathing his claws even as he sniffed the air for the scent of their enemies.

But Eclipse rose to her feet, catching Logan's eye, and shook her head as she plucked the question from the other mutant's mind. Even with superior telepathic boosting, Moonshine's ability - the only truly useful one among the children right now - still required tactile contact. No amount of telepathic assistance would allow the little boy to intoxicate, and thus incapacitate, any of the men closing in on them. Not to mention, the blond mutant thought sharply, her son was nearly out cold on his feet. He was exhausted, and had yet to allow his small body the rest it so desperately needed.

"We need to leave," Sky Flower whimpered. "I wanna go home."

"We don't _have_ a home, Sky," Night Thorn snapped.

"Stop, Thorn," Moonshine muttered wearily. "Leave her alone. You're gonna make her cry."

"I'm _not_ gonna cry!" The little girl yelled. "Shut up!"

_Hush, now. _The voice that slid through all their minds was slurred and tired, like threadbare, old silk the color of shadows. The X-Men looked to Eclipse, who had her hand on Sky Flower's head, gently petting her daughter's hair. _All of you, be silent. Now, listen to me. Aurora, if you would be so kind as to come to me. I'd rather not move if I can help it. You as well, Daystar, Sea Star, Nocturne._ The four adult mutants walked over to the trembling blond woman, placed their hands on her shoulders. _New Moon, dear heart, come here, as well._ The teen walked over and sat down in front of Eclipse, his back to her chest. He closed his eyes, and they all followed suit.

New Moon shuddered as he felt the cool, shadowy contours of Eclipse's mind enfold his, spread his, as the four mutants of the Red Stars were pushed outside of the plane, as their consciousnesses were shoved out into the midst of the enemy. He knew Eclipse was exhausted. It was why she'd asked him and Nocturne to come to her. She could use his telepathy as a boost. And their power combined allowed Daystar, Sea Star, and Aurora to attack.

_Those bastards are mine,_ Day Star hissed.

_Yeah, well,_ Aurora replied. _Don't torch my flowers._

_Focus, you guys,_ Eclipse whispered into their minds, and her mental voice was too thin, too airy. They would have to do this quick, or their leader wouldn't be able to sustain them.

New Moon watched with his psychic eyes as fireballs erupted in the darkness and slammed into the assembled soldiers, ripping through their ranks like a hammer through an army of ants. Wind howled and screamed. The X-Gene soldiers staggered in the gale. Some even fell to the ground. The teenage telepath could feel Eclipse struggling to hold onto Daystar and Sea Star as they threw fire and ice. If she lost her grip on them, the twin mutants would burn themselves out with what they were doing. Only combined could they pull off something this huge. Thorns sharper than the barbs on razor wire ripped through Kevlar and armor, stabbing deep into flesh. Blood erupted and poured. New Moon could feel Aurora struggling not to break the meld between the six of them and go throw up in a corner somewhere. She hated to kill. The migraine from using her powers so extensively wasn't helping much, either. New Moon sent a wave of reassurance washing through the older girl. He could sense her gratitude shining on him like early morning sunlight. But all too soon the thirteen-year-old was wrenched back to the present, to the screams of wounded men and the stench of gunpowder and fire as the soldiers still on their feet opened fire on the airplane hiding the Celestials.

_I don't know if those bullets can reach us here. Do we wanna risk it?_ Nocturne breathed like the wind at night through New Moon and Eclipse's minds.

New Moon shivered. The older photokinetic man sometimes gave him the shivers. He knew that Nocturne didn't care about killing the men who worked for X-Gene. Eclipse didn't, either, but he also sensed her resolve to set a good example for the younger kids. Nocturne liked killing the X-Gene soldiers.

_Can you catch them?_ Eclipse asked softly.

_Automatic gunfire? Doubt it._

_Then we must go. New Moon,_ Eclipse snagged his attention, which he shifted immediately, blocking everything else out so he could push his energy into the link with his leader. Her weariness dragged at his mind. Only sheer determination - and fear of the men outside - kept her from collapsing. Pain radiated from her hips and lower. The hot intensity of it frightened him. Trying to hide his fear, he focused on Eclipse. _Disconnect and tell the X-Men we have to go, and we have to go now._

_Yes,_ said that strange voice, the man who had spoken to New Moon and Moonshine earlier. _Yes, come now. It is too dangerous to remain._

With a casual thought, Eclipse blocked him out and gently disengaged the young boy from the mental link. Thinking quickly, the ash-haired woman grabbed hold of Nocturne's telepathic power and used it to boost her flagging strength. Immediately, heat and energy surged through her. Her entire body perked up. Pulling at Day Star and Sea Star, she caught them and pulled them back. As soon as the presence of the sisters was gone, the strain on Eclipse's mind eased. Now it was only her, boosted by Nocturne, foisting Aurora's mind into the outside of the plane.

_We need a hedge._

_I can't build a hedge from nothing,_ the seventeen-year-old informed her exhausted leader, mental voice just a hair away from sheer panic. _This isn't a comic book. I have to follow the laws of physics and nature and crap._

_Then extrapolate on the hedges already grown. Use your thorn bushes and make us a barrier while the X-Men prepare to take off. Can you do it?_

_If I don't do it, will they overrun us?_ Aurora's voice sounded calm now, but Eclipse could practically taste the fear hiding just beneath that thin veneer of serenity. It was a line of tension that ran from Eclipse and spread like a spider's web through all the Red Stars of the Celestial Team. The children feared X-Gene because they were afraid of the separation from the adults and feared the countless cruel experiments.

But Eclipse feared the organization that wanted to use her extensive mutant genes to breed super mutants for a very different reason. Her eight children were all a result of X-Gene's breeding program. She loved them more than life, and loved the new life struggling to hold on to this world inside her body. But the process by which those lives had all begun.... Her body rejected artificial insemination. None of the potential pregnancies had taken. When the scientists and researchers had grown desperate, their leader had thought of a different method. A brutal, vicious, possibly fatal method....

It had worked, and now the Celestials included ten, soon to be eleven, prepubescent mutants as a result of those experiments. Nine of those eleven were Eclipse's own. Her body couldn't handle much more. Soon, they would exhaust her as a source of genetic material, and she would die, and her team would be leaderless.

_Focus, Eclipse!_

Nocturne's sharp command pierced the cloud of fear building around her senses. Hauling herself to the real world, she slashed her ebony eyes around the airplane. The X-Men and the Celestials watched her, waiting for her to give them some sort of sign. All except the blue-furred mutant with the tiny spectacles perched on his feline nose and the wild-haired mutant with the thick black sideburns hovering protectively near Heaven and the quietly crying Dawn.

_Dr. Hank McCoy and Wolverine, _Nocturne informed her, and she met his sloe-black eyes, stark against the whites. _Dr. McCoy and that woman with the white shock of hair over there are going to fly the ship. Apparently their leader has called them back to their home base._

_Then what in heaven's name are they waiting for?_

_Moonshine told them to wait._

_What?_ Her gaze sliced through the cabin to land on her son, who sat huddled against his best friend and Aurora, shaking. Moonshine clasped New Moon's arm and hand with his own, so tight the knuckles were the color of bleached bones. The dark eyes lay unfocused and glazed in their sockets, seeing nothing. Eclipse tried to touch Moonshine's mind, but the mental thread leading to it didn't take her towards the little boy inside the airplane. It led her outside.

_Thanks for leaving me hanging,_ Aurora snapped irritably, and Eclipse flushed, realizing she'd forgotten about the girl when the fear of X-Gene had risen up against her so sharply. With mental eyes, the leader of the Celestials scanned the surrounding landscape. The thorns were bigger, nearly the size of spears, and sharp as broken glass, but Aurora's strength was failing her. Eclipse could feel the stabbing pain lancing behind the other girl's eyes.

_We've got it,_ New Moon thought at Eclipse, and her mental grip snapped out to enfold the two boys. Immediately, she saw what they were doing, and she realized the real reason behind the seventeen-year-old girl's angst. Aurora was drunk.

_It's complex, complicated, and painful,_ Aurora informed her, a slight slur to her mental voice, _but it's working for us. Moonshine doesn't want us to kill any of them. But he managed to make my thorns poisonous. Sort of. It works...._

_Mom, tell them I said to get out of here,_ Moonshine told Eclipse. For a few moments, she slipped out of the meld and growled, "Get us out of this hellhole. We have them at a standstill, but we can't hold it for long. We have to go." Her voice grated like a rusty hinge. Had she been screaming in her sleep? The nightmare of the white worm had surely induced some sort of reaction from her. Shrugging off the thought, Eclipse immediately plunged back into the mental link between Aurora, New Moon, and her son. The thick, crimson-tinged vines with their blood-slicked thorns wrapped around ankles and wrists, plunging the thorns deep into flesh, drawing bright blood and injecting ice cold venom into the bodies of the X-Gene soldiers.

When nearly all but a handful were down, it happened. A dark chill flooded Eclipse's brain, clawing at her mind, trying to race through the telepathic web stretching through the Celestials. Immediately, the black-eyed woman dragged the three kids back inside the mental safety of the Blackbird, severed her links with the others, and dragged up her shields. Dragging every spark of spare energy from the very tips of her toes into her brain, she slammed the shields with the power. Even as that icy shadow beat furiously against her mental walls, Eclipse poured strength into them. Then another stream of power joined up with hers, electrifying her. Two hands touched each of her arms - New Moon and Nocturne. That extra bit of power was all she needed.

"We gotta go _now_!" Moonshine yelled, hugging Sky Flower. "Mom can't hold out."

"Hold out?" Rogue demanded, confused, but didn't argue, only flicked the switches and buckled her seatbelt. After flying out of the back of the Blackbird during an attack as a teenager, the energy-sucking mutant didn't take chances. While she had super strength and flew better than most raptors, if she whacked her head hard enough on the way out she might not wake up in time to save herself from a painful, if not fatal, fall to the ground.

Shuddering and shaking, the X-Jet yanked up its landing gear, fired up its four engines, and rose into the sky. Outside, shouts and curses could be heard even over the roar of the engines.

"They ain't happy, are they, sugar?" Rogue asked, crossing her legs at the ankle. Her amber boots crinkled against her skin. Nodding her head forward so that her shock of white hair fell across her face, she glanced surreptitiously at the blond woman who suddenly sagged to the floor. Eclipse fell onto her back with a sigh.

"You gonna tell us who those bozos were, bub?" Wolverine demanded, glaring not at Eclipse, but the dark-skinned man next to her. Shoving heavy dreads out of his face, the guy - what had the other woman called him? Nocturne? Something like that - glared at the X-Men and opened his mouth to say something that would've more than likely ended in bloodshed. But Moonshine said, "X-Gene."

"X-Gene?" Rogue echoed, leaning forward to watch the little boy crawl to his mother's side. The poor kid looked half-dead. Taking his mother's hand, the child continued, "X-Gene wants us. My mom and everyone figured out how to escape a couple years ago, a couple months after Crescent was born."

"Moonshine!" The dark guy snapped.

"Let him talk," Eclipse whispered softly. "Leave him, Nocturne."

Nocturne grumbled something unflattering about blondes under his breath, but nodded for the little boy to keep talking, folding his arms across his chest.

"We were okay, and then we found Miss Pepper and everything was great."

"Miss Pepper?" Beast scooted back from his place at the controls, set the jet on autopilot, and came over to the group discussion, curiosity doing funny things to his leonine face. "Do you mean Ms. Pepper Potts? Tony Stark's valet?"

"Um... I guess?" Moonshine hazarded. He scrubbed at his eyes with a loose fist. "Miss Pepper worked for Mister Tony. You know, Iron Man? She gave us some food and talked to my mom and 'Light and then Iron Man said we could live with the... the Avengers?" The boy made it a question, as if he weren't a hundred percent certain getting the name wrong wouldn't result in something painful. "So we were there and then my mom disappeared for a couple weeks and then she came back and then the bad guys came and-"

In a rush, Eclipse sat up and grabbed Moonshine, hauling him against her. He buried his face in her shoulder and tried to cry. She knew how he felt. Just the thought of those two weeks, trapped in a mobile X-Gene lab, without her kids, without her team, while the psychotic scientists tried to get her pregnant again, complaining about the time she'd wasted by running away, and then that same icy touch ripping the location of the Celestials from Eclipse's mind....

With a cry, the white-haired woman scrubbed at her forehead, desperate to rub out the memories. Her arm tightened fractionally around Moonshine.

"X-Gene is collecting mutant DNA, but only those with two or more abilities. They're looking for multiple-ability DNA strands, like mine. Photo-kinesis, anti-photo-kinesis, telepathy, and some clairvoyancy and precognition - that's what's in my repertoire. They're trying to combine chromosomes from multi-DNA with chromosomes from Agent Xero."

"Who's Agent Xero?" Beast asked gently.

"The leader of X-Gene. Apparently, he's got, like, some kind of super DNA," Aurora muttered, and popped a piece of gum in her mouth. When Eclipse glanced at her, the seventeen-year-old simply shrugged and blew a lime green bubble the size of her eyeball. "Apparently, his DNA acts like stem cells or something. Like, they combine it with mutant DNA and his DNA creates all new and exciting mutant combos. Powerful ones, too, that kick in a lot earlier than usual."

"Yes," Eclipse added, pushing a shock of ice-white hair out of her eyes. She needed another haircut. "Xero's DNA somehow forces the mutant abilities to manifest around three or four years old, instead of the usual thirteen to sixteen. Hence the children." The leader of the Celestials gestured to Moonshine. "On the bright side, we have young mutants with more control than the teens that tend to show up on the news with out of control powers. On the downside, when the powers manifest, if the abilities are extreme - such as Sky Flower's super strength or Moonshine's intoxication powers - we have toddlers who can knock out adults and need to learn control much sooner because of their age.

"It's one of the reasons they used me - I can use my telepathy as mental domination. For some reason, it only works with people I share alleles with, though, like the children."

"Why would this group want something like that?"

"They're raising the children to be soldiers," Nocturne replied, ruffling Sky Flower's hair. The little girl sucked hard on her thumb and clutched Night Thorn's arm hard enough that white spots stood out on his skin around her fingers. "But after careful study and years of experimentation, they've finally found the perfect processes for both the creation of the super-mutants and how to get them to cooperate."

"How do you get toddlers to play war when they'd rather have a nap?" Wolverine demanded before Beast could ask another question. "That's ridiculous. If you have a child with super powers and they want a juice box, you give 'em a juice box or they blow the place up."

"Not if you threaten to kill their parents," Day Star informed the rugged Canadian acidly. "That's the great master plan. Took them forty years to figure it out. They let the parents raise the children, allow the maternal bonds to take hold, and then they use the parents as leverage against the kids. A child sees someone hurting their Mommy, they think this person is God. A big, scary, homicidal God, but still too powerful to contend with. And the pin-dicks at X-Gene use power suppressants on the kids. It only works in little kids - the efficacy drops the closer a kid is to puberty - and it only weakens the abilities, not suppresses them. But it's enough - along with the shock therapy and the hot wires - to keep the kids tractable."

At the looks of horror on the X-Men's faces, Day Star snorted and jerked her thumb at the sleeping three-year-old curled up against the two little boys, the ones younger than Night Thorn and Moonshine.

"Crescent and Sunny are the only ones, besides New Moon, who never underwent an X-Gene experiment. Crescent was too little when we left, only four months, and Sunbeam hadn't been born yet. When they recaptured Eclipse, they got 'Light and Sunny, and messed around with them, but no maze-running or endurance tests or anything. And New Moon didn't come from X-Gene. We found him digging for food in a dumpster behind a Burger King."

"Yeah," New Moon said, laughing a little. "Orion said I should try the McDonalds two blocks over because they'd tossed out a crate of end-of-the-day patties and apple pies. Better pickings than the Burger King."

"Well... they tasted good," the child who must have been Orion said defensively. "They smelled good, too."

"Yes, they certainly did," Eclipse replied, ruffling the little boy's dark curls. "My little bloodhound, huh?"

Orion nodded, but he didn't smile.

When his mother turned back to the X-Men, the smile she'd pasted on for her son was gone, replaced by an icy determination that chilled Rogue to the bone and made both Gambit and Wolverine incredibly uneasy. The hairs on Logan's arms stood on end. Here was a woman ready to slaughter hundreds in order to take care of her family - and her family was in deep trouble. This X-Gene didn't sound like an easy group to get away from. Wolverine knew immediately that this group would have to hide out at the Mansion if they were to be safe.

"There is no safe place for us," Eclipse snapped suddenly, and Logan would've jumped if not for two things: one, countless years of military training and discipline; two, he was used to Jean, when her I'm-a-pregnant-mutant-telepath hormones pissed her off, answering his thoughts instead of his words.

"The Professor's mansion is a safe haven for mutants, as long as they are peaceful and law-abiding," Beast told Eclipse, his tone gentle. The furry, blue doctor glanced at each of the awake and alert faces of the Celestials and saw a mix of expressions. Disdain from Nocturne and the nameless youth who was his physical opposite; suspicion from the hippy-style Heaven and the gently glowing Nightlight; indifference from Moonshine, New Moon, Night Thorn, and Sky Flower; a desperate yearning in the two older teens cradling the sleeping infant; and loathing from Aurora, Daystar, and Sea Star. He offered them his best smile. Daystar's return glare might have peeled lead-based paint.

"Forgive us for not trusting this assessment right away," Eclipse informed the X-Men, glaring right at Daystar with one finely arched, swan-white eyebrow. "We have never felt safe, save in the home of Tony Stark, and when this sense of safety came to us, we were attacked and scattered. We will see for ourselves whether this mansion is the right place for us."

"Perhaps you should rest," Beast suggested, directing his words and his gaze to Eclipse. Somehow, despite her obvious pain and exhaustion, she was remaining civil. Perhaps it was after years of caring for her children.

"Yes... well. All right. Blue Stars!" At Eclipse's call, those children still awake - Orion, Night Thorn, Moonshine, Dawn, Nightlight, New Moon, and Sky Flower - immediately turned to her. "Bed time. You guys know the drill."

Apparently, they did know the drill. All the wakeful children crawled to those still sleeping. In the end, it was a giant puppy pile of mutant kids. But instead of lying down, the children sat tailor-fashion in a circle on the cold floor of the Blackbird and took each others' hands. Closing their eyes, they bowed their heads.

_Are they praying?_ Beast wondered, watching the children. The adults were watching the kids as well. Why didn't Eclipse and the others join in? But then one midnight sapphire eye caught a twitch of movement. Immediately he trained his eyes to where he thought it had been. Orion and Dawn's clasped hands. What had he seen? Then he saw it again. Orion squeezed Dawn's hand. Beast waited, and the boy did it again. This time, Beast caught sight of Dawn squeezing New Moon's hand, and New Moon tightening his grip on Sky Flower's hand, and it followed in a circle to Night Thorn, Moonshine, and Nightlight before going back to Orion and going around again.

"What is-" Beast began, but then a weary voice breathed against his mind, _It is the Pulse. It allows them to feel connected to each other. It also helps them settle down enough to sleep. I learned it in my middle school drama class as a girl. When the Celestials formed, we began to do the Pulse as part of our goodnight ritual. We passed it onto the children._

_Eclipse?_

_Yes,_ the tired voice assented. _I will remain alert to what the X-Men do, as well as my Celestials. If you try to betray us, I will know. I suggest you behave while we sleep._

_You have my word on it, my lady._

_Thank you,_ Eclipse sighed, and when Beast glanced at her, he saw her already asleep, leaning against the pale gray carpet on the wall of the X-Jet.

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**Author's Note:** _I'm posting the Mary Sue Litmus Tests for Eclipse, Moonshine, New Moon, and Day Star after this. I do this so that people can see the results of the test(s) and won't start getting all suspicious on me or anything. Bye!_


	4. Cast of New Characters

**New Cast of Characters**

.

.

**Aurora**

Born Rosaline Thorne.

A photo- and pyrokinetic.

Age 17

_No known family_

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

**Crescent**

Born Christianna Midnight.

No mutant powers to speak of.

Born with a strange, pale crescent shape on her cheek, like an old scar.

Age 3

_Eight known family members_

Mother: Eclipse.

Brothers: Moonshine, Night Thorn, Orion, Star Fox.

Sisters: Luna, Midna, Sky Flower

Father: unknown human.

Affilliation: the Celestials

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

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**Dawn**

Born Don McCloud.

No mutant powers as of yet.

Mutated feature: eyes with the appearance of the sun's surface. No pupil, iris, or sclera.

Age 6

_One family member_

Mother: Heaven

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

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**Daystar**

Born Sally Starre.

Photokinetic.

Age 25.

_One known family member_

Sister: Nadine Starre (twin)

Affilliation: the Celestials.

Rank: 3rd in command.

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**Eclipse**

Born Luna Midnight.

Photo- and anti-photokinetic. Mildly precogntive/clairvoyant in regards to her team mates.

Age: 21

_8 known family members_

Sons: Moonshine, Night Thorn, Orion, and Star Fox

Daughters: Crescent, Luna, Midna, and Sky Flower

Affilliation: the Celestials.

Rank: Leader

History: used in an illegal mutant-breeding program (X-Gene) as a broodmare; repeatedly raped until pregnant. Birthed eight children, who were allowed to remain with her so long as she cooperated with the program. While pregnant with Crescent, she destroyed the program and the facilities and escaped. She and many of the other Celestials were part of the program.

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**Luna**

Born Luna Midnight II.

No mutant powers or mutant appearance. Only distinction: daughter of Eclipse.

Age 4

_8 living family members:_

Mother: Eclipse.

Brothers: Moonshine, Night Thorn, Orion, Star Fox.

Sisters: Crescent, Midna, Sky Flower

Father: unknown human.

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

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**Midna**

Born Morae Midnight.

Super strength.

Mutated appearance: obsidian eyes, no pupil, iris, or sclera. Skin is incredibly pale.

Age 7

_8 known family members_

Mother: Eclipse.

Brothers: Moonshine, Night Thorn, Orion, Star Fox.

Sisters: Crescent, Luna, Sky Flower

Father: unknown human.

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

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**Moonshine**

Born Endymione Midnight.

Photokinetic; ability to intoxicate/poison with a touch. Has incredible control over his intoxication, but not much control over his photokinesis.

Age 8

_8 living family members: _

Mother: Eclipse.

Brothers: Night Thorn (triplet), Orion, Star Fox.

Sisters: Crescent, Luna, Midna, Sky Flower (triplet)

Father: unknown human.

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

**.**

**New Moon**

Born Neo Trine.

Anti-photokinetic; telepathic. Does his best not to read other people's minds, but has very little control.

Age 12

_No known family_

Affilliation: the Celestials.

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**Night Thorn**

Born Drake Midnight.

Anit-photokinetic; herbikinetic; night vision.

Age 8

_8 known family members_

Mother: Eclipse.

Brothers: Moonshine (triplet), Orion, Star Fox.

Sisters: Crescent, Luna, Midna, Sky Flower

Father: unknown human.

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

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**Nightlight**

Born Belle Braun.

Glows in the dark; electrokinetic.

Powers brought on by falling into a vat of toxic waste with her brother Zack, who glows in the dark. Afraid of the dark.

Age 7

_Three living relatives:_

Father: an electrokinetic named Shocker

Mother: Statix, her father's sidekick

Older brother: Zack, who glows in the dark (Zack-Attack)

Affilliation: the Celestials.

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**Nocturne**

Born Thomas McKnight.

Anti-photokinetic; telekinetic; telepathic; antiphonal.

Age 20.

_No living relatives._

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

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**Orion**

Born Aaron Midnight.

Mildly photokinetic. Enhanced senses of smell and hearing. Animal empathy.

Age: 6

_8 known family members_

Mother: Eclipse.

Brothers: Moonshine, Night Thorn, and Star Fox

Sisters: Crescent, Luna, Midna, and Sky Flower

Father: Unknown human.

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

**.**

**Sea Star**

Born Nadine Starre.

Hydrokinetic; aerokinetic; cryokinetic.

Age 22.

_One known relative_

Sister: Sally Starre (twin)

Affilliation: the Celestials.

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**Sky Flower**

Born Daisy Midnight.

Photokinetic; flight; super strength.

Age 8

_8 known family members_

Mother: Eclipse

Brothers: Moonshine, Night Thorn, Orion, Star Fox.

Sisters: Luna, Midna

Father: unknown human.

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

.

**Star Fox**

Born Reynard Midnight

Can speak to animals

Age 5

_8 known relatives_

Mother: Eclipse

Brothers: Moonshine, Night Thorn, Orion

Sisters: Crescent, Luna, Midna, Sky Flower

Father: unknown human

Affilliation: the Celestials

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

.

**Stargazer**

Born Ganymede Hopewell.

Clairvoyance; night vision; flight

Age 18

_2 known family members_

Wife: Starlight

Son: Sunbeam.

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

.

**Starlight**

Born Stella Hopewell, nee Cassidy.

Photokinetic; super strength.

Age 17.

_2 known family members_

Husband: Stargazer

Son: Sunbeam

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

.

**Sunbeam**

Born Sunny Hopewell.

No mutant powers.

Mutated appearance: golden eyes with no iris, pupil, or sclera.

Age 20 months.

_2 known family members_

Mother: Starlight

Father: Stargazer.

Affilliation: the Celestials.

History: part of illegal mutant-breeding (X-Gene)

.

**Twilight**

Born Edward Swan.

Energy vampire; power sucking powers like Rogue. Immunity to the energy powers of other mutants. Capable of sucking people's powers without contact. Unlike Rogue, can control his absorbtion powers.

Age 23.

_No known family members._

Affilliation: the Celestials.

.


	5. Falling Stars

**Chapter One**

**Falling Stars**

.

.

It had happened so often, she'd forgotten how many times they'd tortured her. So often, that now she had lost count. She would always remember the first time, but that was only because it was the first time. She remembered some of the other times, because of Moonshine, Night Thorn, Sky Flower, Midna. Because of Orion, Star Fox, Luna and Crescent. It was those eight children, those eight little glowsticks in the dark, that made her remember, and helped her forget. She remembered their times. And she remembered this time, because the blood still dripped down her thighs, soaking her jogging pants and her socks. If they hadn't been black, she might have been worried about wandering around, staggering as if drunk, on the Manhattan streets at night with pants drenched with crimson. But as it was, all she was worried about was the fact that if she didn't find the children soon, she'd bleed to death before she could meet up with the rest of her team.

Maybe she ought to stop and do something about her wounds. Maybe... but the moment she stopped, the moment she sank to the ground to stop, rest, and tend to her injuries, she knew she wouldn't be able to get back up again. She was already staggering. She couldn't afford to let her guard down or slow down for a minute. Even though her back burned like blue fire and her hips, legs, and pelvis throbbed and screamed at her that the abuse was too much. Even though she knew what that wet tickling in the back of her throat meant. Even though her fingers and toes were beginning to tingle with numbness.

How many times had they done this to her? The humans? _Homo sapien sapiens, _the normal humans, the "real people?" How many times had they ripped her open this way? How many times had they drawn her blood? How many times had they broken her bones and infected her with...

Well. Never mind. Find the children. Her children, and the others. That was what mattered. The children and the team. Once she found them, she could relax. She could calm down, take a break, and help herself.

Before she bled to death on the street.

****

Neo Trine, better known as the mutant New Moon, wasn't sure exactly whether or not he was right about the direction he was leading the Blue Stars, but he was pretty sure they were going in the right direction. Then again, if the real leader of the Blue Stars was here, they wouldn't be in this mess, because Moonshine would've been able to find the leader every one of them was looking for. They needed to find Eclipse, their main leader, because none of the Blue Stars knew what to do.

And why should they? In order to be a Blue Star, one half of the Celestial Team, you had to have mutant powers and be under sixteen. The Red Stars, the adults, were all missing. What was a bunch of elementary school kids supposed to do? It wasn't as if they had any experience busting themselves out of trouble. Most of them didn't even have real powers, just physical mutations or something wimpy, like Nightlight's ability to glow in the dark. So what were they supposed to do, out in the night, alone and without anyone to help them? Except, of course, to do exactly what they were doing now – following New Moon, their only telepath, as he did his very best to find their leader in a city full of humans and mutants who posed every threat imaginable.

"Are you sure my Mom is this way, New Moon?" Night Thorn asked softly, trying not to wake the toddler in his arms. His sister, Crescent, slept fitfully in his grasp, sucking her thumb. The other children could barely walk – their feet ached, and New Moon could hear one of the other children, Nightlight, thinking about the burning blister on her left heel. Sky Flower couldn't stop coughing. It wasn't good that she'd been sick with the flu when their newest home had been attacked. It was worse that she had been forced to carry Dawn at first, when the younger boy had broken his leg. Now that task was being given to the super strong Midna, whose asthma was starting to flare up.

"Sure I'm sure," New Moon replied to Night Thorn, rubbing the black bruise on his right shoulder from where the Sentinel had thrown him into the wall. "I can hear her thoughts. She's somewhere nearby, I can sense her. I just can figure out where."

"Maybe you can't," one of the other children said, "but I can. I know where Mommy is." The child that spoke cast an anxious glance at Sky Flower, who made a small noise in her throat, then at Dawn, who had silent tears trickling down his cheeks.

"How d'you know that, Orion?" New Moon demanded wearily, brushing ineffectually at his spiky bangs. His black hair, once soaked with mud and blood, had dried into sable spikes in front of his face. Until he washed it, there was nothing he could really do about the irritating curtain of spikes in his eyes. Irritated, he scrubbed at the drying blood on one cheek, but when he reopened a scabbed-over gash, he desisted.

"Mommy's smell," Orion said.

"Her perfume!" New Moon cried, shocked he hadn't thought of that. This was why they needed Moonshine – he could be counted on to think of everything. But Eclipse always smelled of lavender and chamomile. She used it in hand lotion when she could get it, in soap and shampoo, in body spray and laundry detergent. The calming smell helped her focus her powers, she said, and kept her once-in-a-blue-moon migraine-inducing precognition suppressed. Orion's heightened sense of smell could find the special combination of Eclipse's natural smell and the soothing scents she used. "You can smell her perfume! Can you find her?"

"Maybe... I think." The little boy wrinkled his nose and sneezed, scratching at the drying blood in his curly, brown hair.

"Oh," Midna, one of the younger girls, whispered. "I hope, I hope, I hope."

"Come on," New Moon ordered, sounding a lot more sure of himself than he felt. He put an arm around the trembling Midna. He wasn't sure if she was trembling with tiredness, or her hope. He put another arm around Sky Flower, who let her head fall onto his shoulder. Her face felt hot through his jacket, and the heat of it turned the thirteen-year-old mutant's blood to ice. "Let's get going. We gotta find Eclipse."

****

Professor Charles Xavier set the helmet of Cerebro back into place, pondering what the machine had shown him. What he had seen was remarkable- mutant children, the youngest mutants he'd ever seen with active mutant powers. But they needed help. They were under attack. He'd seen an eight-year-old girl flying around a mansion he recognized very well, a girl whose mind was a cacophony of terrified weeping and the repeating thoughts of _Mommy. Night Thorn. Moonshine. Crescent. Midna. Star Fox. Orion. Luna. Mommy._

He'd tried to link with her young mind, but after making initial contact with her, her surprise had forced her to lose her concentration on the attacking enemy and been unable to dodge a laser beam shot that hit her right in the chest. She'd started to fall and been caught by another mutant, a boy of the normal mutant age who'd set her on her feet before attacking the giant robotic hand reaching for them with photokinetic blasts. More children – all of them far too young to be naturally occurring mutants – had come up behind them and attacked what he knew to be the hand of a Sentinel robot. But where had those children come from? And why did they look so neglected? Thin to the point of emaciation, almost as a pale as corpses, they looked sick and exhausted.

But Xavier knew the people who owned and lived in that mansion! They would never treat children that way! They would have taken steps to ensure the children were well cared for... unless something else had happened to the Avengers...

Turning away from Cerebro, he hit the comm. button attached to his wheelchair.

"Yes, Professor?" Ororo's voice misted from the speaker. Xavier thought for a moment and said, "Send me Gambit, Wolverine, Rogue, and Beast, please, Storm."

"Right away, Professor."

As the communication line severed, Xavier sighed, and sent his mind out again, trying to find the little girl who could fly. Was she still alive? Had she survived the fight against the mutant-hunting machines? That child could not have been more than ten years old, yet she had mastered her ability of flight and was using it in a defensive way. How had she come by such control?

_Mutant,_ he murmured in his mind, calling to her. _Mutant, answer me. What is your name?_ Now that Cerebro had found her once, Charles Xavier himself could find her whenever he wished. _Who are you? Where are you? Let me help you, little-_

_Get away from us!_

The terrified, furious cry ripped through his mind, severing the link he had been trying to form between himself and that little girl. The voice that had broken his concentration was older, angrier, richer. And it was a boy. A young boy, younger than Jubilee by some years, but older than the other children he had seen in his vision. Perhaps the oldest, the boy with the photokinetic powers. Was he also a telepath?

_Mutant child, I wish to help you. Let me help you, _Xavier tried again, bridging the distance between himself and the children he was attempting to contact. _Let me help, children._ He could feel distrust, anger, and beneath it all, he could feel terror so strong he could nearly taste it. What was happening, that they were in such fear? Children should never know that kind of petrified terror.

_Who're you? _The child's voice demanded in his mind._ How come you can hear me? I ain't strong enough to project to you! Who are you?_

Instead of telling him, the older man showed him. Images of the school, of all the children going to classes and chatting in the cafeteria and playing on the grounds, of the X-Men helping others and working with their powers. He could sense a weakening in the child's walls of icy mistrust, feel the boy weighing Xavier's words, considering them.

_Is this an acceptable place to you?_

_I... I gotta talk to Moonshine and Eclipse,_ the boy said, uncertainty making him sound heartbreakingly young. _They're in charge and I... I..._

Xavier could feel the terror and exhaustion weighing on the poor child's mind. He sensed burdens the boy was unaccustomed to, trials he was unsure he was capable of facing. Something was very wrong over in Manhattan. The boy needed help, and quickly. But the girl...

_Do you know a little girl who can fly?_ Charles asked. He was pretty sure they were together, perhaps brother and sister.

_Sky Flower_, the child replied softly. Worry tinged his voice, an undercurrent to his fear. _She's sick. She went too far when they attacked us. She can't stop coughing. She's coughing up blood. And Dawn's leg is broken..._

_Who attacked you?_

_The robots, _the boy whispered._ They took Eclipse... but she escaped. She tried to find us, but she's hurt. I can feel it. Orion's looking for her. But we... we're lost. We just moved here..._

Gently, ever so gently, so as not to frighten the boy, Charles murmured,_ What is your name?_

_New Moon. Will you help us? Please? Sky Flower is so sick..._

_Do not be afraid, _Xavier murmured in the boy's mind._ I will send my X-Men to help you. I promise. Hold on for a little longer, New Moon._

****

New Moon, exhausted and now stuck carrying Sky Flower, stumbled over his feet when Orion suddenly yelled, "Mommy! It's Mommy!" The other children – all eight of them – rounded the corner and staggered into the alley, where Eclipse sat on the concrete, her weight sagging against the wall. New Moon saw the busted lip and the black eye, and did his best not to start shooting off sparklers. Eclipse's hair hung in her face, the dull ash-white hair darkened with streaks of blackness that might have been mud or grease... or blood.

"Mama!" Crescent, from the circle of Night Thorn's arms, reached out with her chubby arms, squalling for her mother's embrace. But Eclipse wasn't moving.

_What is wrong?_

New Moon heard that familiar voice in his mind and immediately responded. Any adult was better than no adult. If someone could help Sky Flower and Eclipse, then even if they were a bad guy, everyone else could escape after their leader was back to normal. They'd always managed to escape before. Just because he was a kid, didn't mean he was stupid. They needed help, and New Moon was positive the man in his head could help them.

He just didn't know if it was safe to ask. But he let the man see anyway.

_Try to wake her up_, the telepathic voice commanded, but before New Moon could do anything, Sky Flower was stumbling forward to Eclipse's side and began tugging at the woman's arm.

"Mommy! Mommy, get up! Mommy, we gotta go! Come on, get up!"

Eclipse's eyes flickered open, and the first thing she saw was her daughter's too thin face, and the speckle of blood on Sky Flower's thin lips. Ignoring the agony in her body, Eclipse hauled herself to her feet, steadying herself with a hand on the wall. She hoped the children didn't see the bloody patch on the ground where she'd been sitting. They looked terrified. She did not wish to scare them any further.

Wondering how long she had before she simply couldn't go on any longer and fell in the middle of the street, unconscious, she took a step. Her leg shook, but she could manage. For a while. She had to – the children needed her.

"Roll call," Eclipse said softly. New Moon didn't like the breathy quality of her voice, but when her night-black eyes met his, he saw that she was still there, still Eclipse, still strong enough and aware enough to protect them all. "Crescent?" The mutant called.

"Crescent's here, Mom," Night Thorn replied, hefting the toddler.

"Dawn?"

"Me!" Six-year-old Dawn, carried by super strong Midna, waved weakly. Eclipse suddenly remembered that his leg was broken, and bit her lip, but didn't let the sudden stab of panic show. New Moon might've caught a flash of it, but she suppressed it enough that she doubted it.

"Midna's here, as well, then," Eclipse whispered, leaning against the wall. Her toes were starting to tingle with numbness. "And Luna, Star Fox, Orion-"

"I smelled you, Mommy!"

"Nightlight, too, I see," she whispered.

"Hi, Eclipse," the young Belle Braun, codename Nightlight, little glow-in-the-dark girl, nodded at her, still keeping an eye out for anymore Sentinels or any other potential threats.

"Daisy and Drake..." Sky Flower and Night Thorn groaned at their real names. "Where's your brother? Where's Moonshine?"

"We don't know, Eclipse," New Moon replied. "But help is coming. We just gotta keep moving, keep out of danger until they get here to us."

Nodding, hating the fact that he was right about keeping on the move and hating even more that she had to actually move around, she took her daughter's hand and sighed.

"Come on then. Let's get moving."

****

Remy LeBeau, better known as Gambit, strode down the halls of the basement headquarters of the X-Men as if he had far more important things to do, much more exciting people to see, and better places to be going to, than the door to the Cerebro Room to meet the Professor to talk about some mutants that might need their help.

But the truth was he didn't, because the only person he wanted to see was Rogue, who wouldn't speak to him or see him unless ordered onto a mission by the Professor. And the only place he wanted to be was in Rogue's room or his own room, or maybe the Rec Room, by the pool table, so he could shoot some pool and maybe forget about the untouchable woman walking around the mansion, killing him piece by piece. And the only things he wanted to be doing were kissing Rogue (which was not going to happen ever, unless she got some control over her powers), kissing someone else to forget about Rogue (which he knew from past experience was not going to work), getting so drunk he forget everything, including Rogue (which, unfortunately, always ended with him blowing something up because he'd lost control of his powers), or playing pool.

Nowhere in that incredibly short list of things to do did it even hint at the possibility of going on a mission that was going to rip his heart out because he'd be working with the one woman he couldn't touch and desperately wanted to.

So why was the Professor making him work with Rogue? Did Xavier think this was just a boy's crush, inconsequential and lacking any real feeling behind it? Did he think the pain and frustration coursing through Gambit's veins was just going to go away? And what about the others? Why hadn't Storm protested when the Professor had informed her of his plans for the Cajun? What about Beast? Didn't the big, blue Doc realize that Rogue's presence would ruin his concentration and endanger the team? Wolverine always doubted him – why hadn't the older mutant said something about it?

Or had they, and Xavier had just brushed them off?

He didn't know, and didn't really care. He just wanted one of them removed from the Field Team. Or to die. Or to go back into his room and fall asleep and wake up a couple weeks from now. Or get rip-roaring drunk and pass out from the hangover with a pillow over his head.

Moments after these pleasant thoughts passed through his mind, Gambit found the people he'd been assigned to work with for this mission – whatever the mission was.

Wolverine, an old friend and a half-rival, in that they ribbed each other all the time. Gambit knew better than to assume he could compete with Cyclops for Wolverine's animosity, however.

Beast, with his huge muscles that the Cajun envied and his penchant for spewing poetry and literary quotes, greeted Gambit with a friendly nod. Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy had better things to do than pick fights with irritated Southern boys.

And Rogue, a sultry siren in hunter green and gold, with the gifts of angelic flight and godly strength, made him catch his breath. He hated that- the fact that she could still do that to him after all this time. He'd left the X-Men for a year, just to see if he could keep his breath when he saw her, the moment he got back. Every time, it hadn't happened. He still lost his breath when he saw her. And when he met her gorgeous eyes, his knees still buckled.

Damn it.

"What you want, Professor?" Gambit demanded.

"You all know the team called the Avengers, headquartered at the Stark Mansion in Manhattan. That mansion has been attacked by Sentinels. I know that the team itself is safe – they're capable of handling themselves until help arrives – but they had visitors. Children, with mutant powers. I do not know whether they meant to send the children to us eventually or not, but the Avengers might need our help. The children most definitely require assistance. I contacted a boy, New Moon, who said that their leader, Eclipse, was missing. Another of their group, a little girl named Sky Flower, is sick. Sick enough to worry a young boy – he says she's coughing blood. Another of their team, a boy named Dawn, has a broken leg. The children seem to believe they were the target of the Sentinel attack. I must send someone to them, and with Jean so sick and Cyclops so injured, I figured the best team to send would be you four."

"Ya think we're the best team?"

"Yes, Rogue, I do. A doctor, a charmer to soothe frightened mutants, a woman with enough power to protect children and enough maternal instinct to comfort them, and a warrior with enough bravura to impress young boys. So I suggest you hurry, before someone is critically injured, or worse."

****

There was a woman in the restaurant called Gianinni's who couldn't believe that vagabonds looking like _that_ dared to walk down Main Street. Eclipse could've lived without that information, but New Moon thought she ought to know, in case the humans started causing problems. Eclipse had to wonder how humanity had come to the point where children looked at every stranger they saw and, because they were gifted with extraordinary powers, saw them only as potential threats. On a normal day, she might have chastised New Moon for not keeping a tighter leash on his telepathy, but as tired as he was, she knew he was doing the best he could. And after the job he'd done of getting most of the Blue Stars to safety, she figured he deserved a serious break.

She sincerely hoped he'd get a chance to take that serious break some time soon. Before they were all wiped out by anti-mutant _homo_ _sapiens_ or the government or X-Gene or something.

She also understood why the woman in Gianinni's was looking at them strangely. They looked like homeless waifs off the street. The group of children with her had clothes that Good Will wouldn't have taken if they were desperate. Blue jeans ripped to shreds and stained with blood, mud, and grease, the dirt smudges and cuts on their arms, knees, and faces made them look as if they'd slept on the streets for years. They were far too thin- a result of them being on the run for almost a year and only being able to take decent care of themselves for the last two weeks. Everyone looked filthy. Eclipse felt filthy, all the way down to the roots of her dull, ash-blond hair. She hated it, hated being so disgustingly dirty. Hated being caked with drying blood and mud. Hated how the still soaking wet, blood drenched pants she wore and chafed at her skin.

But she had more important things to worry about than dirt, grunge, and grime. More important things to worry about than her own pain and discomfort. She needed to get the kids to safety... somewhere.

Somehow.

Sky Flower was flagging, fading quickly. Her steps were dragging, her head nodding. If she weren't a possessor of super strength, the little girl probably would have passed out long ago. She had been the one to fly through the mansion, screaming the alert that Sentinels were attacking, flitting around to avoid being grabbed by the robotic mutant catchers. Her clothes showed the wear, covered in dirt and dark grease spots. Her pale face was bruised from where'd she been flung into walls and floors, ceilings and machinery. Her coughing had reached the point that her throat was scraped raw, and every time a shuddering hacking ripped through her thin frame, blood flecked her lips. Eclipse's heart shrank in her chest every time that cough broke the stillness.

New Moon wasn't complaining, but then, before joining the Celestials, he'd been a member of a child street gang whose leader rewarded complaining with beatings and starvation punishment. A year attached to a kinder, much gentler team hadn't broken the thirteen-year-old of his reticent habits or his attitude of "if it's not killing you, you can't complain about it." Probably, Eclipse reflected, the scruffy, dark-skinned boy was thanking his stars that he still had shoes on his feet, clothes on his back (regardless of their condition) and an adult to take care of him who wouldn't beat him, no matter what was going on. No matter that they were on the run from X-Gene, and that they were all in desperate need of assistance.

Night Thorn, her little stalwart trooper, wasn't complaining, either. In fact, he was doing everything in his power to keep his friends, his sister, and his mother from losing hope. How he could keep smiling and talking about inconsequential, cheerful little nothings even as he stumbled over his own feet in his weariness amazed her. How did he keep going? She knew he was struggling – every time light touched him, he gasped in pain and shied away, usually stumbling as the light sapped what little strength from him he had left. Eclipse had absolutely no idea how she had managed to conceive, carry, and bear the precious infant that had grown up into this amazing little boy.

Crescent, with the incredible resilience and vitality of a toddler, was fast asleep in her older brother's arms. Eclipse had to resist the urge to touch the cap of silky blond curls that carried a softness unique to three-year-olds. How had something so disgusting, horrendous, and ugly created something so angelic? Something that gave a hurting, exhausted Eclipse the strength to keep walking, one foot in front of the other?

Luna was only managing to keep up because seven-year-old Midna was carrying her. Super strength came in handy. Right now, Sky Flower wasn't carrying anyone because her sickness was pulling at her strength, and it was quickly running out. She needed it all for herself. The milk-white girl carrying Luna didn't have that problem. Midna seemed not to be having any trouble carrying her sister and keeping up with the grueling pace Eclipse was forced to set. In fact, Midna was the only person not having any trouble. She was also the only person who wasn't injured in at least some way. After all, her job in the Mansion had been to round up Crescent and Luna in case there was ever an attack. A three- and four-year-old were of no use in a fight, but Eclipse couldn't guarantee they wouldn't get hurt. So, Midna had been assigned to collect them. She had, and they'd escaped unscathed. It was getting under the fence of someone else's yard that had inflicted the deep, now infected scrapes on Luna's back. The little girl was so exhausted she didn't even care. She was fast asleep in Midna's arms.

Orion stayed beside Eclipse. As much as she hated it, she needed the little boy's sharp senses to help her flagging ones detect any dangers. She would not let any of her children come to harm. Not again, not after all they'd been through. But because Orion was terrified of the dark, Star Fox and Belle also stayed beside him. Those three were such troopers. How could the kids have gotten this far without them?

Lastly, there was Dawn. Dawn, whose constant questions about his mother were starting to break down through Eclipse's guard, making her want to cry. Heaven, Dawn's mother, had been separated from them during the attack. Eclipse had no idea where she was. But the injured boy she carried on her back didn't understand that. And Dawn wasn't doing too well physically, either. Eclipse was being forced to carry him, which wasn't helping her stamina at all. She could barely feel her hands and feet anymore, despite the shadow bindings she'd wrapped around herself. And that irritating, wet tickle in the back of her throat was constant now.

She was so tired... and her mind felt stuffy and cobwebby, her skull filled with glass shards. Her telepathy wouldn't respond to her commands at this point. Once the pain in her head subsided, she might be able to use her power to find the others... if she was still alive by then. For a moment, she thought about just dropping onto the pavement, telling the children to stop where they were. Everyone needed a break. But they had no choice but to keep moving. Sky Flower coughed blood. Luna had infected scrapes. Night Thorn's skin was marred with first-degree burns. Everyone but Midna was hurt, and Dawn... the seven-year-old boy's leg was fractured in three different places. Eclipse was no doctor, so she didn't exactly know how to deal with that. She just did the best she could and hoped that no infection or anything else she definitely couldn't handle wouldn't set in.

****

Wolverine stared out the window of the Blackbird, wondering what he was doing, still running missions for the Professor. He was way, way too old for something crazy like this. At his age, he ought to be suffering from things like arthritis and rheumy eyes, or jeez, even dead. Instead, he could heal any injury and slip open anything with his ice-cold adamantium claws. He could rescue the girl, defeat the bad guy, and make it home in time for some of the excellent cooking they offered as a bonus to the X-Men who lived at the Mansion.

But he never ended up with the girl. After all, Yuriko had left him for what he'd done to her father. Heather was married to Vindicator – not that the pompous, egg-sucking scumbag deserved a brilliant lady like that. Shadow Cat was with Colossus, and Wolverine was happy for the couple. And Rogue, well... as much as the sight of her looking so depressed broke his heart, he knew that the little Southern spitfire's heart belonged to the card-throwing Cajun from Louisiana. And he had no business interfering with Rogue's love life, even if his heart did ache for her and that sad expression she always wore.

And Jean... Jean.

Jean Grey was happily married off to the one-eyed laser-beam shooter with the chip on his shoulder a mile high. Cyclops and Jean were happy together. Jean was pregnant, for crying out loud. And even though Wolverine wanted to rip that red-eyed jerk's head off for even thinking about putting his hands or anything else near Jean Grey, he knew that the grief and tears in Jean's eyes if he did would damn him to hell forever. So instead, he focused on the fact that even though Scott had violently protested, Jean had made Wolverine the godfather to their unborn daughter, Rachel, and how much that meant to him. How much it eased the pain in his chest when he thought about Cyclops and Jean together. Thinking about Rachel Summers, who'd have her mom's gorgeous red hair and beautiful, cobalt blue eyes, made everything a little easier to take.

And so it was because he ought to be at the Mansion, cooling his heels and waiting around for Rachel to be born, that he was starting to second-guess his commitment to the X-Men. He owed the Professor everything, and no way in Hell was Rogue going anywhere without him to keep an eye on her. Same for Jubilee, whenever she got thrown out again on a mission for the Professor. But as Cyclop's recent injuries – fractured skull, shattered femur, broken ribs, cracked sternum – indicated, someone had to be around in case the laser-shooting mutant finally bit the dust and left Jean and Rachel alone. He considered the unborn girl his own daughter – forget that half her chromosomes belonged to his rival. She was Jean's daughter. Therefore, she was his. And he wasn't sure a father ought to be taking the kind of risks he was taking with these missions these days.

After all, he was getting kind of slow.

Besides, it wasn't like he was ever going to be able to bring home any of the girls he managed to save. He never got the girl, and every time he had a brush with a beautiful damsel in distress, it was another needle into his heart. Cyclops had once said that not everyone healed as fast as Wolverine.

Sometimes, Wolverine didn't heal that fast, either.

****

Eclipse had no idea how long she and the children had been wandering the streets of Manhattan, but it felt like a million years. She didn't have a watch, and she hadn't known the time when they'd attacked the Mansion. But the sadness eating at her was like acid in her mouth. The Avengers Mansion was supposed to have been safe. Doctor Banner had sworn that the Avengers' headquarters would be the long-awaited sanctuary for herself and her team, including the children who longed for a normal life. And for a while, it had been a safe haven for the Celestials.

Until tonight. Tonight, All Hallow's Eve, Halloween. And they hadn't picked October 31st for Satanic purposes, she knew. She knew exactly why they'd picked that night: the children had stayed up late trick-or-treating, and had only been in bed for a couple of hours before the attack had hit. They'd been exhausted already – now they were barely capable of putting one foot in front of the other. And there was no nearby place to lay their heads down and rest.

If things couldn't get any worse, they were wandering around, lost on the streets. They'd only come to Manhattan a couple weeks before. That wasn't enough time to become acquainted with the area. The only reason they'd even managed to escape was due to the fact that Moonshine had insisted they look for and provide escape routes and bolt holes for themselves, places to hide in case the mansion was ever attacked. Eclipse had been inclined to listen to the eight-year-old, but it had been one of those rare occasions when her lieutenants – Twilight, Heaven, and Daystar – had been willing to actually follow his advice. Unfortunately, their hiding places and hidden exits had been confined to the mansion grounds. They had no extra plans for when they managed to make it out of the place.

Well... perhaps Moonshine had thought that far ahead. Her son had a habit of thinking of things she never would have. That was why she treated him as an equal and often went to him for advice, despite his young age. But that was the second worst thing about what was going on – the Celestials had become separated in the craziness. And the only person who'd really had the time and inclination – due to his habit of disappearing all the time when wanted for lessons – for exploring the surrounding city was Moonshine, and the boy wasn't here now. She had to wonder where he was. He was only a boy, far too young to be all by himself in the dark of the night, all alone on the streets, with no one to take care of him...

Two of the children were missing – two, out of twelve. One of them, Sunbeam, was only a baby. He wouldn't have been part of the team, if he didn't just happen to be the physically mutated baby of two adult mutants. But Eclipse couldn't guarantee that Sunbeam was with his parents, where he'd be at least somewhat safe. She couldn't guarantee that Sunbeam was not with Moonshine, and having an infant with an eight-year-old was not exactly the most comforting idea right then. Hell, most of the members of the Celestials being all alone on the street while being hunted by Sentinels wasn't a comforting idea. There wasn't a one of them over the age of twenty-five. They were just kids themselves, really.

Didn't matter to X-Gene and whoever else was chasing after them, though. They were still being hunted, and they were still in danger of being killed. She wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her team, not if she could help it. It was her job as their leader to keep the Celestials safe from humans and mutants and disasters alike. But it didn't matter tonight. Tonight, somehow, they'd been found out and attacked and separated and now they were all vulnerable. And if the help New Moon was promising didn't arrive, she knew they'd all eventually die.

Unacceptable. But without outside assistance, unavoidable.

Crap.

Ignoring the nagging thoughts of fear, shoving them into that little compartment in the back of her mind that kept her from panicking at inopportune moments, she focused on something else instead. That would be the question: where were they going to hide out now? Where could they go?

****

Rogue stared at the ceiling of the X-Men's high-speed jet, hating everything and hating herself for hating everything. It wasn't the Professor's fault her life was falling into pieces. It wasn't anyone's fault that Emma Frost's telepathic therapy sessions with Rogue and Gambit hadn't worked, and it wasn't anyone's fault (except Gambit's) that the Cajun had told her he was going to give her space and then up and disappeared like a ghost for no reason. It wasn't anyone's fault that he'd come back, still capable of killing her inside, piece by agonizing piece. And it wasn't anyone's fault that they were stuck on this mission together.

But she still wanted to give Xavier a good, hard slap across the face. Maybe zap him a little, so he'd definitely feel it, and remember the emotion behind it. Hurt. Anger. Confusion. What was the telepath's deal, anyway? Was he trying to make her upset? Was he trying to throw her biggest failures back in her face?

Because her biggest failures were two people: Gambit and Wolverine. After all, it was Wolverine who'd come to her, to comfort her when Gambit ran off. It was Wolverine who'd made the conscious choice to ask Professor Xavier, Sage, and the Empress Lilandra to amplify his powers, so that he could control his healing at will. It was Wolverine who'd convinced Sage to evolve Rogue's powers so that she could control – for a few precious moments – the sucking power that ate everyone who touched her. It was Wolverine who had given Rogue her first real, adult, perfect kiss. It was Wolverine who had done everything in his power to give her the one thing she needed: a shoulder to cry on. But it was not Wolverine that she was in love with, and she hadn't been able to fall in love with him just because she could touch him, skin to skin (for all of five short minutes).

As for Gambit... she didn't want to go there. She didn't want to think about how much his disappearance had killed her. She'd rather focus on the expansive Saint Peters' Gardens as they began descending towards the earth. She didn't want to think about how kissing Gambit, holding him, loving him, had been like arsenic pills in her mouth whenever the dreams had plagued her. She didn't want to think about Gambit at all.

She needed to focus on the mission.

****

"Mommy, I'm tired," Sky Flower mumbled, brushing at her ebony hair. "Can I float? My feet hurt."

Before Eclipse could respond, Night Thorn replied, "No, Sky. Some normal people might see you and know who we are. We just gotta go a little further and everything will be fine. We've got a nice, safe place to go, we just have to get there."

The eight-year-old boy scrubbed at his dirty cheek. She could see the tears on his face, smearing the dirt into mud and grinding it into the cuts on his face. As exhausted as he was, she knew how hard it was to keep up the facade he always did his best to maintain. Night Thorn was too young to be like that, a steadfast little warrior doing his best to protect his family. It wasn't fair to any of them... but X-Gene had twisted almost all of her children into these heartbreaking caricatures of adults.

One day, she'd kill every member of X-Gene. She'd strangle them with the shadows of their own bodies, cut them apart with their own internal darkness. If she lived long enough to get out of this mess.

"Where are we going, Eclipse?" Dawn asked. Sighing, Eclipse wondered what to do, what to say. Or whether or not she would say anything at all, since she didn't have an answer for the little boy.

Headlights washed over them as cars went by. The dull, gray beams of light drifted over and past them, illuminating them in the darkness between the streetlights. She could tell the little beams were struggling to penetrate the shroud of darkness she'd pulled up around them all to keep them shadowed. It was the best she could do in her condition, exhausted and in pain. She hated being so weak. She hated this whole thing.

"Saint Peters' Gardens," Orion whispered. "Smells safe."

"Safe?" New Moon asked, voice bitter. "What's that mean?" Stunned by the bitterness in the teenager's voice, Eclipse reached out and gripped his shoulder gently. When he looked at her, tears threatening to spill over and run down his cheeks like a flood, Eclipse squeezed. He knew what she meant – everything would be all right.

"Mommy!" Night Thorn cried, his voice a hoarse and terrified whisper. He clutched her bad leg, pointing at a beam of brilliant white light coming towards them. "Sentinel!"

With barely a thought, Eclipse grabbed Sky Flower and Star Fox and hustled them behind a large hedgerow. It was scant protection, but it was the best she could do. She carried Dawn on her back, since his broken leg kept him from walking on his own. She knew she didn't need to worry about Night Thorn – he kept one hand on the hem of her sweater the whole time as they rushed into the darkness. The others managed to scuttle after her. Pressing them against the rough, cold, dew-wet hedge, she held her breath as the beam passed the alleyway entry by. She let her breath out, but didn't allow them to sink down to the icy ground until minutes had gone by without a robotic voice ordering them to halt and be captured.

"Mommy... when can we stop?" Sky Flower begged, falling flat onto the street despite the trash littering the ground. The girl was gasping for breath.

"Can we stop here for tonight, Mom?" Night Thorn asked calmly, swiping at the sweat dripping down his forehead. "You and I can make it safe, can't we? Make it somewhere we can hide, can't we? I don't think Sky and Dawn can go much longer."

She absently stroked her son's hair, trying to think of what to do. Night Thorn was absolutely right, the girl and the younger boy weren't going to last much longer. They weren't used to this kind of thing. Even she wasn't used to this kind of thing anymore. She was getting too old, she suspected. Well... maybe not too old. Too exhausted, rather. Too beat up, too worn out.

But that didn't matter. She could keep going if she needed to, for the children.

Maybe.

But the children couldn't keep going for her. They were far too young, they weren't trained to be warriors. They weren't even supposed to have super powers, much less fight with them. How were they going to survive this?

And why had she allowed this? Why had she let the Celestials fall into that trap of complacency? It was because she'd allowed a feeling of safety to wash over them while they'd been staying at the Avengers' Mansion. The bolt holes and escape routes were Moonshine's idea, not theirs. They should have kept their guard up, should have considered the possibility of a night attack, should have stayed in a more secure, less conspicuous place. Now they were in trouble.

****

"And we're down," Hank McCoy said. "Time to disembark."

Ignoring the grumbling of his other three teammates, the blue-furred mutant strode down the ramp and into the lush vernality of Saint Peters' Gardens. What a gorgeous piece of wilderness, this. Hank reached over and gently touched a soft, peach-colored rose.

" 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,' "

"Not true," a voice cried, quickly muffled. Hank looked around, puzzled. Now what in the world? But he saw no one except for his three comrades. Bewildered, the gargantuan scientist turned to Wolverine, who suddenly sniffed the air and whispered, "Mutants. Kids. One woman. And blood. Lots and lots of blood. And listen! Whispering."

****

"What the crap were you thinking, Midna?" Night Thorn hissed, his hand around his sister's mouth. "They could be bad guys!"

"We're not," a voice to their right replied, and the children cried out. Eclipse surged forward, almost falling as her entire body screamed at her. She reached out to attack with sparks and shadows when New Moon yelled, "No! Eclipse, they're here to help!"

Eclipse stared up at the four people in front of her. The youngest of them was several years older than she was. Her instinctive and immediate distrust of strangers and "adults" kicked in. She almost attacked. Almost. Primed to retaliate, she glared sullenly at the strangers, unsure what to say. Unsure if she could even speak without rasping, slurring, or screaming. Her entire body throbbed, one giant piece of hurt. But before she was forced to make a decision, the one with blue fur stepped forward. The moment it spoke, she realized it was male.

Her mind screamed _**ENEMY**_!

****

"My name is-"

Before Beast could finish introducing himself, the young woman crouched on the ground in front of him gave a strangled cry and moved, herding the children with her backwards, away from the X-Men. Her terrified whimpers seemed almost unconscious, as if she didn't herself realize the extent of her fear. The children were glancing back and forth between her and them.

"Lady," Wolverine began, and a little girl staggered to stand in front of the frightened woman, throwing up her fists. "Kid, ya don't know what yer doin'."

"I got super strength," the little girl snapped. "And I can fly - oof!" The woman grabbed the child and forced her behind her.

Gambit tried to step forward, but the woman twisted her hands and seemed to throw a spike of blackness at Gambit, who easily dodged.

"What's wrong, _cher_?"

"Stop!" Rogue yelled, interposing herself between the three men and the frightened group. "Don't be afraid. We ain't gonna hurt ya. Ah'm Rogue. Ah'm one of the X-Men-"

"X-Men?" The oldest boy there cried. "Eclipse," he said, turning to the woman. "Eclipse, it's the X-Men. That man who contacted me, he must have sent them. It's okay, they won't hurt us." He got to his feet with difficulty, and then leaned down and helped the woman to her feet as well. He stayed by her side, hovering protectively as she gave them all a piercing, fearful stare.

"Are you Eclipse?" Beast asked. The woman nodded. "And these children?" He asked. At that, the teenage boy at the woman's side took over. Jerking his thumb at his chest, he said, "I'm New Moon. The girl with the big mouth is Midna, and the girl with super strength who can fly is Sky Flower. The kid holding Eclipse's hand is Star Fox. Next to him is Orion and Nightlight, and-"

"I'm Luna!" They saw a little girl with black hair and golden eyes waddle over and then carefully sit down on the grass. She looked up at the four X-Men and said, carefully, "I'm four." She held up a hand to make sure they knew exactly how many four was. "And Crescent asleeping," she added, pointing at a toddler in a young boy's arms. "Dat's Night Thorn. He's my bruffer. Dis my Mommy." She pointed at Eclipse.

"Are you gonna help us?" Night Thorn, the boy holding the sleeping toddler, demanded. "Are you gonna find everyone else?"

"Everyone else, _mon ami_?" Gambit asked gently. He took a step closer, and Eclipse jumped as if slapped. The Cajun stopped moving, holding his hands up in the universal gesture of "no harm." Gambit continued, "Who else?"

"Moonshine," Sky Flower said. "My brother. And the other grown ups."

"My Mommy," a little boy lying in the grass sobbed. "I want my Mommy! Where is she?"

Reaching into a pocket, Eclipse pulled out a worn, somewhat bent up photograph. It was portrait sized, but it wasn't a portrait. It was a group photo. It looked like a family photo, at least a year old. Twelve children, and nine adults. And only one of those adults and ten of those children were in front of the X-Men now.

"Ah'll get everyone settled on the Blackbird," Rogue said before anyone could issue any orders. "Beast can make sure none of 'em are hurt. We'll meet up with you boys later. All right?"

****

Eclipse could barely keep her eyes open anymore. All the children were sleeping, curled up under blankets with pillows on the floor of the great airplane that the Celestials had mistaken for a Sentinel. Only Sky Flower, New Moon, and Dawn still lay awake. The great, hulking mutant with blue fur was setting the broken bones in Dawn's leg. Hating being so close to a male, Eclipse nonetheless let the little boy squeeze her hand until the bones creaked as the bones were being set. Afterwards, Tall-Blue-and-Furry gave Dawn some baby aspirin. After examining Sky Flower, with Eclipse keeping a watchful, wary eye on him, the blue man gave her daughter something for her cough, and a mug of weak chamomile tea. Only she and New Moon were the only ones still fully awake, despite their exhaustion.

"I don't wanna sleep," New Moon replied to the look Eclipse leveled at him. "Not if you're gonna sleep."

"You can both sleep," the blue one said. Eclipse ignored him, focusing on New Moon. Even as she watched, his head nodded, and he jerked. It nodded again, and he jerked. There was a bigger pause between nodding off and jerking awake the second time. The third time, he didn't wake.

Eclipse allowed herself a little smile.

"Are you injured?" The furred one asked. Eclipse spared him a glance. He seemed gentle enough, but she didn't trust him. She trusted no man. Even the Cajun with the eyes like red diamonds. Even the furry blue man.

"Yer the one bleedin'," a new voice said. She turned and saw the one whom Sky Flower had thought to take on with her super strength, sniffing the air as she had seen Orion do. "Yer bleedin' bad. And ya smell like musk."

He _knew_! He knew what had happened to her...

Anger surging through her veins, Eclipse lunged to her feet... for about ten seconds. And then she fell, out cold. She didn't hear everyone's cries of surprise, or feel the strong arms catching her limp form before she could hit the cold, hard floor. She didn't hear the bitter, grief-filled voice whispering, "_Cherie, cherie_, why you say not'ing to Gambit?" She didn't reply. She only lay unconscious and unmoving in his arms as the blood continued to seep from the stab wound in her back and from the raw, violated flesh between her thighs, soaking her already saturated clothes.


End file.
